Homeless shelter in Leslieville approved

A homeless shelter in Leslieville has been the subject of political maneouvering, resident protests and NIMBY-ism, an not only..

Interestingly, there are some for it.

Here's one such resident.

Despite deep concern from some Leslieville residents, a city committee has given its stamp of approval to a shelter for homeless men opening on Leslie St.

The article:

The community development committee voted 5-0 Wednesday to recommend city council give final approval to a Salvation Army application to open the 80-bed Hope shelter.
The Salvation Army chose the site, just north of Eastern Ave., after a two-year search to replace the 124-bed shelter that was at College and McCaul Sts. until the building sold.
The recommendation to council, authored by the local councillor, Ward 32’s Mary-Margaret McMahon, includes establishment of a community liaison committee to address residents’ concerns.
Residents who addressed the committee complained about what they called a flaw consultation process. Possible ill effects of a men’s homeless shelter, they said, include increased crime including drug use and public drinking, safety concerns and second-hand smoke.
Rod Rego said he’s concerned about inadequate lighting on an adjacent laneway, a nearby wooded area where people use drugs now, the proximity of a rooming house and the temptation of a nearby beer store and Loblaw’s selling beer and wine.
“To me, in my mind as a homeowner, this might be a perfect storm of undesirable elements,” Rego said.
However, other Leslieville residents, including Leigh Chapman, said homeless men have a right to be a part of her community, and to find safety and get their lives back on track.
A nurse and PhD student, she choked up talking about her brother Brad Chapman, a father of three who suffered homelessness and addiction. He died last August at age 43.
“I’d like to think that Brad could have been in a shelter in Leslieville and that maybe it would have provided the opportunity for it to be safe for us to re-establish a relationship as brother and sister,” she said. “He would have been a proud uncle to my young son.”
McMahon acknowledged and apologized for flaws in community consultation, including the fact that not all the surrounding homes received notice of a public meeting on the proposal.
But she said Torontonians need to break down the stigma against being on the streets.
“Being homeless does not mean you lack a moral compass,” she said.
Councillor Joe Mihevc predicted city council will approve the Leslieville shelter, noting that the homeless problem is only growing and he could not recall a proposed shelter being rejected.
“You are going to be a better community and we are going to be a better city if this goes forward,” Mihevc said, predicting that within a couple of years residents will have embraced the shelter, holding fundraisers and bringing “treats” to the men living there until they get into permanent housing.
City council will have the final say next week.

What do you think?.

Sources / More info: tstar

SWNA, homelessness, nimby, nimbyism, city policy, leslieville (Tags)