Ariel Troster
Despite somewhat milder temperatures, winter is undeniably here. During this season, my thoughts always turn to people experiencing homelessness or housing precariousness.
City staff have been working around the clock to ensure that no one must sleep outdoors in the frigid cold. I have been supporting this work as a member of the Emergency Shelter Crisis Taskforce. Some updates:
- We added 70 beds via the use of bunkbeds at city-run centres.
- The city is funding low-barrier respite/warming centres to run for longer hours and offer cots to rest on and snacks to eat. This includes Centre 507 (at 507 Bank Street), which is now open nearly 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
- By the end of January, we will have met our goal of transitioning 120 neighbours into long-term housing by offering rent subsidies.
- In addition to opening more community centres as overflow shelters, we reached an agreement with the federal government to open the Graham Spry Building at 250 Lanark Avenue as another warming shelter.
Just this month, the John Howard Society’s new supportive housing building opened on Lisgar Street. I am excited to welcome 29 women to the neighbourhood, many of whom had been sleeping rough or in shelters and now have new, permanent homes with supports.
We are also eagerly anticipating the opening of Cornerstone Housing’s new supportive housing residence on Eccles Street. There is nothing more secure and comforting than a forever home, with a door that locks and all the necessary amenities.
City Council made a commitment to residents that this would be the last winter where we would be using community centres as emergency shelters. We doubled the city’s capital investment in affordable housing from $15 million to $30 million in 2024. Now we need our federal and provincial partners to step up and help fund the affordable, non-profit housing that we know will solve homelessness in our city.
I often say that ending homelessness is like pushing a giant boulder up a hill. But I am confident we will get there by pushing that boulder together.
Stay warm!
P.S. – If you or someone you know needs a warm place to sleep or hang out in, call 311 for a referral at any time.
Ariel Troster is the city councillor for Somerset Ward.