Read on Twitter
I want to talk for several tweets about this slide from Gord Tanner @cityoftoronto at yesterday's hearing. And about @JohnTory's false assertion today that there are only about 400 people living outdoors in T.O. @dmrider @CBCLorenda @cathyacrowe @cllrainslie @shelleycarroll 1/
Let's start with the very most basic FACT (as Mary Anne Bedard kept saying yesterday, in a verbal tick repeated often by deputants to poke fun):
To say that there are 400+ tents in parks & transportation right of ways right now but only 400 people living outdoor is risible. 2/
To say that there are 400+ tents in parks & transportation right of ways right now but only 400 people living outdoor is risible. 2/
For starters, assuming just 1, or less than 1 person per tent (or similar structure) doesn't work. We'll get to why in a moment. But that also then assumes no one else is homeless and sleeping w/o tent, on grates, in construction sites, doorways, parking garages, TTC cars etc. 3/
But then, before getting to the FACTS (from City sources no less) suggesting two people per tent is the norm, lets also turn to City funded agencies that cover Scarborough, North York, and Etobicoke-York in their catchments: 4/
In November, I spoke with managers & workers at both Agincourt Community Centre and Albion. Agincourt's City funded outreach covers Scarborough and North York east to west to Jane. Albion covers Etobicoke-York west to east to Jane, Parkdale, and Midtown in tandem with S2H. 5/
The City, in the graphic above, has 9 sites 15 tents for Scarborough. That is likely v low ( @c_shadowspaces and I have visited 4 regular tenting sites in Oct & Nov) with a total of 10-12 tents depending. Agincourt told me directly that their numbers are 50-80 in Scarborough. 6/
The City has 8 sites 16 tents (so apparently just 16 people) down for North York. Agincourt told me the numbers are 30-60 for North York with "exponential" growth in homelessness due to evictions right now. So in these two areas, City numbers are off by 2x to 5x actual. 7/
I also spoke with Albion. Gratefully, they broke out their numbers for Etobicoke-York such that I wouldn't have overlap with other organizations doing good work in Parkdale. Albion says there are 40 people outdoors and homeless in E-Y. The City graphic has 7 sites, 10 tents. 8/
Besides Sanctuary where @c_shadowspaces and I work (which does outreach throughout Toronto and East York as outlined by this graphic), Greg and I spoke to four other organizations about numbers that do outdoor outreach in this catchment area. 9/
As a side note, Albion's numbers were similar for Parkdale and Midtown for what I have from these other organizations. The total for this whole area (Toronto/East York - which I have broken down into Parkdale, Downtown, East York, Beaches) is a minimum of 800 people outdoors. 10/
The minimum for all of these areas then is about 900. I have argued in this thread for a minimum of 200 people forced to make TTC their primarily place of sleep. Even cutting that number in 1/2, we are still to 1000 minimum without home or shelter in Toronto. 11/ https://twitter.com/djjohnso/status/1328807841084399628
All of this is the bare minimum really. I can make reasonable data cases for closer to 2000 people outdoors in two other ways. For this minimum 1000 number, there is also an easy way to make the case that there are two people per tent, on average: 12/
We have good numbers for at least three encampment clearings since COVID-19 started that strongly suggest that 2 people per tent is average, if not a low figure.
Here's @kristynwongtam stating that there were about 60 tents on June 28 in Moss Park per Fred Victor: 13/ https://twitter.com/kristynwongtam/status/1276512748776685570
Here's @kristynwongtam stating that there were about 60 tents on June 28 in Moss Park per Fred Victor: 13/ https://twitter.com/kristynwongtam/status/1276512748776685570
(My count around same time was similar. CBC reported 50 tents a week or two earlier.)
Just after that? The City said it put 140 people into hotels. And that didn't clear everyone. There were still about 12 tents left with the people who refused/sued. 14/ https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/tents-moss-park-toronto-homeless-1.5651892
Just after that? The City said it put 140 people into hotels. And that didn't clear everyone. There were still about 12 tents left with the people who refused/sued. 14/ https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/tents-moss-park-toronto-homeless-1.5651892
