Inside one of Toronto’s warming centres, dozens of small beds are placed alongside the walls, with homeless people covering themselves in Red Cross-issued blankets. At a 24-hour respite centre that’s supposed to host 100 people, many rows of small beds are lined up in a dimly lit hallway. Some people are curled up in their beds, others are milling around. There’s indistinctive noise from all around, and at some point someone somewhere seems to be banging on the door.“Someone in there?” a voice asks later, as a note indicates one of four washroom stalls is out of order.That’s part of what is contained in a six-minute video secretly filmed this past weekend offering a glimpse inside various drop-in centres and respite and warming locations as the city grapples with housing the homeless population amid extreme cold weather.Street nurse and longtime homeless advocate Cathy Crowe said the “inhumane” conditions observed at the sites indicate how the shelter system is broken.“We are now in a position where we are housing people in places that are not shelters,” she said of the city’s overnight drop-in, respite and warming centres, where more than 1,000 people — young and old, male and female — are currently being housed.Read more: Opinion | Rosie DiManno: It’s tough to be homeless in Toronto — and it’s getting tougherUnder the Gardiner: ‘We check in on each other, that’s kind of the reason to be here’Edmonton winter warming bus helps city’s homeless chart a route to survival“That’s the only place they can go, and they are going to be there for weeks and months on end.”In addition to existing shelters, the city has opened a number of 24-hour respite sites and drop-in centres to help homeless people who need shelter during the extreme cold weather period.Crowe described the “shame” of living in a “dismal-looking” ...
|
