Home

Community Meeting to Save The School House Shelter! July 17th

Submitted by ocap on Tue, 07/10/2012 - 17:32.

COMMUNITY MEETING to SAVE THE SCHOOL HOUSE SHELTER!
Tuesday, July 17th
6pm @ Parliament Street Library (Gerrard and Parliament)

*snacks, childcare, and tokens provided
*download the event poster and flyer at the end of this article

On June 26, we organized a mass delegation to the the Community Development and Recreation Committee of City Council. The room was filled with homeless people, allies and a range of people spoke against the City`s plan to close the 55 bed School House Shelter. The Committee heard powerful testimony from those who are forced to rely on the shelter system, front line advocates, union locals representing workers in the neighborhood, and social agencies. It was pointed out by several speakers that this meeting was happening in the same month that conditions in Seaton House men`s shelter led to a violent outburst in which a man was beaten severely with a fire extinguisher, while another homeless man was found dead on Parliament Street.

Despite this, the committee voted to proceed with shutting the School House down.

This fight doesn't end here. Everything now depends on a community based mobilization in the downtown east and beyond to save the School House. This shelter has to become the place where we draw a line. We must demand that the 35 beds that have already been lost at the School House be replaced immediately. We can`t let this shelter sit empty with a padlock on its door while people die on the streets. We must organize to take back the School House and take forward the struggle in this City for the right to decent and affordable housing.

Join us for a public community meeting on Tuesday, July 17th to talk about what we all want to do next to save the School House and fight for what poor people need and deserve in this neighborhood!

Facebook event here: http://www.facebook.com/events/416052675104144/

Contact
Ontario Coalition Against Poverty: 416-925-6939 / ocap@tao.ca
Downtown East Committee to Stop the Cuts: TorontoDTE@gmail.com

Download the poster here: http://ocap.ca/files/jul-17-poster.pdf
Download the flyer here: http://ocap.ca/files/jul-17-flyer-front.pdf and http://ocap.ca/files/jul-17-flyer-back-2.pdf