Along with other local resident’s associations and the BIA, the CRA has maintained a dialogue with the City regarding the plans to locate a 24-our women’s respite and drop-in centre* at 233 Carlton Street.
For those of you that have perhaps not read it yet, this fact sheet provides more details of these plans.
This dialogue originated with Councillor Wong Tam and the SSHA. Recently the reigns have been taken over by the third-party consultants hired by the city to engage with community stakeholders.
At the meeting with these consultants yesterday, it was made very clear that continuing to try and oppose the location of this service centre at 233 Carlton Street is a non-starter. Instead they urged those present to embrace the engagement process that they have been hired to facilitate. They want the community to help shape the success of this centre and to help identify any and all provisions that the City needs to adopt to minimize any negative impact on the community, especially in the areas of safety and security.
The Consultants also confirmed that a public meeting will likely be organized for late January. In this meeting they plan to share the details of the engagement process, so people can better understand what steps the SSHA might consider taking to address resident’s concerns that have already been communicated to them.
If you still wish to have your own voice heard directly, you can email Mayor John Tory (mayor_tory@toronto.ca), City Manager Chris Murray (chris.murray@toronto.ca), Councillor Wong-Tam (councillor_wongtam@toronto.ca), and/or the SSHA (SSHA.Homeless@toronto.ca). Please feel free to cc info@cabbagetowner.com on such communications.
*What exactly is a 24/7 women’s respite and drop-in centre?
The City describes it as ‘a centre that operates on a 24/7 basis providing essential services to women and transgender or gender-non-binary people experiencing homelessness, in an environment that prioritizes ease of access to safe indoor space. Services provided include resting spaces, meals and service referrals’.