Lack of information regarding shelter on Gerrard Street East has local councillor frustrated

By AMARACHI AMADIKE

The City of Toronto is in negotiations to secure the purchase of a building at 2535 Gerrard St. E. with plans to convert it into an 80-bed shelter.

With little information surrounding the negotiations, area residents and Scarborough Southwest Councillor Parthi Kandavel are concerned about the lack of communication between the city and its residents.

“What is required is more transparency on how city staff make these decisions about where they’re located,” said Kandavel. “There’s no doubt everyone recognizes the need for shelters. Where we place them is the question.”

Residents are also warning the city against placing the shelter in close proximity to a daycare.

“I have a toddler,” said Kandavel. “My thinking would have been (different) before I had a child. It’s remarkable how your worldview changes after you have kids.”

But, according to the city, Toronto has a limited number of available areas that meet the “size, budget and zoning requirements” needed to be a municipal shelter.

“Shelters are not allowed in areas zoned exclusively for employment or industrial uses and are typically located in residential areas close to community resources such as libraries, community centres and health care services,” said Toronto Manager of Media Relations and Issues Management Russell Baker in an email statement to Beach Metro Community News.

Still, Kandavel believes that the city didn’t do its due diligence for this particular shelter space. Saying that Scarborough Southwest already has four shelters while neighbouring ward Beaches-East York only has one, Kandavel told Beach Metro Community News that information about the criteria that impacts shelter distribution should be public knowledge.

“I’ve seen the placements of the four existing shelters in my ward,” said Kandavel. “The common denominator is that all four of them are directly fronting major arteries that have access to good, frequent transit, amenities, grocery stores, community centres, and a wide variety of choices for shelter residents to access.”

In contrast, the site at 2535 Gerrard St. E. is lacking the facilities that those experiencing homelessness need on a daily basis, he said.

Earlier this year, Toronto Council directed staff to scour the city in search of potential shelter locations. With councillors relinquishing site selection powers in an attempt to separate politics from the process, some now believe Scarborough is being targeted as the prime location for shelters.

“A lot of folks in Scarborough feel like (the City) is dumping on Scarborough again,” said Kandavel. “All our hotels became shelters.”

Ron Parkinson, Founder of Scarborough United Neighbourhoods, told Beach Metro Community News that decisions surrounding Scarborough are being made by people who are unfamiliar with the area.

“(City staff) don’t live in these neighbourhoods,” said Parkinson. “A lot of them, when they’re doing this process don’t know where anything is. They look at a Google map, and that’s it. They don’t know what’s in there.”

He said his main issue surrounding this site is the lack of communication and consultations with area residents.

However, Baker said the city has “hired a community engagement facilitator to lead the process”.

“Our goal is to ensure local community members have the opportunity to learn more, ask questions, and collectively work together with us to problem-solve concerns that may arise,” said Baker.

With the conversations about the proposed shelter happening behind closed doors, it is still unknown whether the site will be converted into a transitional shelter like the Scarborough Village Residence which includes access to supports such as health services, case management, social supports, crisis intervention, and referral programs.

“That’s why, I think, everyone is putting the flag up,” said Parkinson. “Because the city is doing a lot of things without any consultations.”

Since news about the shelter plans leaked, residents have been under the impression that the space was a “men’s shelter.”

However, Baker said that is not the case.

“The shelter at 2535 Gerrard St. E. will provide critical services and support to approximately 80 adults of all genders, including couples, to help them gain stability and find and secure housing as quickly as possible,” he said.

“These are people in an immediate housing crisis who without shelter may be sleeping outdoors in parks or other areas.”

Not much is known about exactly what “critical services and supports” will be provided.
Kandavel said city staff are expected to share more details at a community consultation which will take place in early December.

With more than 12,000 people experiencing homelessness in 2024, according to the city’s official stats, Toronto’s homeless population has seen a 14 per cent increase over the past year.

In November 2023, council adopted the Homelessness Services Capital Infrastructure Strategy which is supposed to build up to 20 new shelters across the city by 2033.