What happens when you don’t take care of the social housing component is that everything filters down into the emergency shelter system,” said Rafi Aaron, a member of the newly created Shelter and Housing Justice Network, speaking with the Star. Housing advocates are calling for the city and other levels of government to speed up the installation of emergency shelters and other supports. ( Andrew Francis Wallace / Toronto Star )Network members include Health Providers Against Poverty, the Interfaith Coalition to Fight Homelessness, the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, the Street Nurses Network, the Toronto Overdose Prevention Society and No One Is Illegal. Toronto must declare a state of emergency, they said, to deal with the duel disasters of homelessness and rising opioid overdose deaths. An additional 860 people used temporary respite sites, drop-ins and one location of the volunteer-led Out of the Cold program.

Source: thestar December 13, 2018 22:20 UTC