September 22, 1999
To:Community Services Committee
From:Jack Layton
Co-Chair, Advisory Committee on Homeless & Socially Isolated Person
Subject:Enacting the Emergency By-Law to Assist People who are Homeless
______________________________________________________________________________
At its September 22nd meeting, the Advisory Committee for Homeless and Socially Isolated Persons, adopted the following
motion to be forwarded to the Community Services Committee for action.
It is recommended that:
The Community Services Committee and members of Council ask the Mayor to evoke the emergency by-law and thereby
enact the emergency plan in order to develop an appropriate plan of action to immediately address the critical shortfall of
emergency shelter.
The Advisory Committee has consistently heard from staff in the Shelter, Housing and Support Division that there is a
significant shortage of beds in the emergency shelter system; a problem that is only expected to get worse this winter.
Despite the best efforts of Community and Neighbourhood Services to add more beds to the system, it seems that few new
hostels have been approved. Even with the addition of the new hostels and the Out of the Cold beds there will not be
enough hostel beds to meet the expected demand.
In April of this year, Council adopted a policy objective to maintain the monthly occupancy level of the emergency shelter
system for adults and youth at no more than 90 %. It is now reported that the adult system is operating at 100% capacity.
Given this reality, the Advisory Committee asks the Community Services Committee and City Council to urge the Mayor
to enact the emergency by-law to provide immediate relief to deal with this crisis.
Sincerely,
Jack Layton
Co-Chair,
Advisory Committee on Homeless & Socially Isolated Persons
