Clark Sissons was known as a quiet and tidy man who kept to himself and loved poetry and literature. A four-year resident of a transitional housing program run out of the former New Edwin Hotel, he was also described as thoughtful and a hard-worker, who treated people with respect and had been employed as a teacher.Last week, Sissons, 67, was counted as the 84th homicide in Toronto in 2018. He was found behind a community centre in the east end in the morning hours of Oct. 5. Allan Alexander MacDonald, 57, was arrested on Tuesday. He has been charged with second-degree murder.A spokesperson for Haven Toronto said Sissons and MacDonald were both clients of the daytime drop-in on Jarvis St. that provides meals and social supports to older men. The Star has not confirmed if or how well the men knew each other.What made Sissons uniquely vulnerable, or at increased risk of violence, was the combined factors of his age and struggles with alcohol and experiences with homelessness, or being precariously housed. While the bulk of people who use emergency shelters are men, between the ages of 25 and 49, the number of people at age 65 and above who use shelters is rising, according to 2016 research published through the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness. The place where Sissons lived and was working to rebuild his life is the site of the First Step to Home transitional housing program, run by WoodGreen Community Services, at 650 Queen St. E. The former hotel holds 28 self-contained bachelor units with full kitchens and the program serves men ages 55 and older.“So many of these folks are so vulnerable, particularly when they are out on the street and programs like ours really give them a place to call home — even if it is on a transitional basis,” said program manager Thomas Krause, who knew Sissons for about a year and a half. Their clients have all been street involved and have struggled with addiction or mental health issues, said Krause, who explain ...
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