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A tiny wooden shelter with a window and a lock on the door. Image: courtesy of Khaleel Seivwright from his website
Toronto takes carpenter behind tiny shelters for homeless people to court
Cathy Crowe | In a modern David and Goliath epic, the city of Toronto is threatening carpenter Khaleel Seivwright with legal action over his structures for homeless people.
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Wooden tiny shelter built by Khaleel Seivwright. A sign on the house says "Someone lives here, do not remove." Image credit: Jeff Bierk
Tiny homes and tiny shelters are pop-up responses to government failures
Cathy Crowe | A skilled carpenter in Toronto has simply started building shelters for people trying to survive the housing crisis, shelter shortage and COVID-19 pandemic.
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Protesters hold signs about homelessness in front of the Toronto sign at Toronto City Hall (Image: Photo by Cathy Crowe)
The best and worst for homeless people during this year's pandemic
Cathy Crowe | As 2020 comes to an end, homeless people remain severely vulnerable. However, this year has seen some heroes step up.
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Dri giving a speech at a CAW (now UNIFOR) meeting in front of a banner that says "House the Homeless. Toronto Disaster Relief Committee." Image: Cathy Crowe
The housing lessons from Rainer 'Dri' Driemeyer and Tent City
Cathy Crowe | Canada lost an important figure in housing history this week. Rainer "Dri" Driemeyer, a well-known Tent City resident, knew that to fight for housing was to fight for housing for all.
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Image of plexiglass sleeping cubicles in Better Living Centre. Lawn type furniture cots substitute for beds. Image: Cathy Crowe
Toronto continues to fail homeless population with prison-like plexiglass cubicles
Cathy Crowe | The City of Toronto faces criticism for using plexiglass cubicles that resemble prison cells in a recently re-opened congregate shelter.
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Image: Cathy Crowe
Judge rules City of Toronto breached its agreement to ensure physical distancing in homeless shelters
Cathy Crowe | A legal coalition returns to court to advocate for physical distancing in shelters to protect homeless people from COVID-19.
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The Toronto Homeless Memorial showing levered pages to allow the 1,000 plus names to be viewed. Image: Cathy Crowe
Toronto's homeless people don't 'count' during the pandemic
Cathy Crowe | The City of Toronto has stopped tracking deaths of homeless people during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Food prepared at Camp Samac. Image: Kelly O'Brien
Oshawa shelter program receives mixed responses
Doreen Nicoll | "Instead of instituting rent caps in a city where the average one-bedroom costs over $1,000 they're relying on private companies to build shelters," says DIRE executive director Christeen Thornton.
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Image: Cathy Crowe
City of Toronto excludes homeless shelters from mask policy
Cathy Crowe | The medical officer of health and mayor have authority to fast track efforts to protect the public and businesses during the pandemic. Then why not direct mask wearing in homeless shelters?
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Vancouver's Oppenheimer Park in 2019. Image: Paul Sableman/Flickr
It's more important than ever to show compassion and humanity to homeless people
Lisa Lacoste | "I see constantly in Toronto not a lack of concern about homelessness and income inequality, but a sweeping inability to acknowledge it."
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Oppenheimer Park. Image: Paul Sableman/Flickr
It's time for Canadian courts and governments to acknowledge that forcible displacement of homeless people is inhumane
Stepan Wood | The second article in a two-part series looking at the cycle of displacement of homeless people during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Vancouver's Oppenheimer Park in 2019. Image: Paul Sableman/Flickr
Homeless people across Canada continue to face forcible decampment during the pandemic
Stepan Wood | The first article in a two-part series looking at the cycle of displacement of homeless people during the COVID-19 pandemic.