Out of the Cold - Saint Luke's Toronto

And it was then Acting Mayor @mckelvieAJAX who made the announcement city would not allow asylum seekers in city shelter system. Under her watch.

There is a dangerous air quality index alert today & we still have no 24/7 options for people who are unhoused. On outreach last night, our volunteer teams dropped off water, hot meals, & bagged lunches to people who live outside. Now, will the City do their part?

This Tuesday Jul 15, Toronto’s Planning & Housing committee will discuss zoning laws for shelters. There are groups of people planning a press conference & loud public opposition to building shelters. Imagine being against shelters while the homelessness crisis balloons. [2/]

I love that there is such a thing as the H20 truck but having it sit at Nathan Phillips Square in no way meets unhoused water needs.

This work is hard, but we’re stronger together. On Friday we joined partner agencies & drop-in meal programs supported by CH+ to share knowledge & build community. We’re all feeling the strain as the affordability crisis brings more people to our doors, but we’re not giving up.

Please consider writing to Mayor Chow and your local councillor to draw attention to this. Every year, we find ourselves in the same song and dance, and something must change now!!!

It’s no surprise that on average there are 5 unhoused people a week who die in our City. While we were glad to be able to offer water & food, this is such a small bandaid. The heat is dangerous. Being unhoused in the heat is dangerous. This is a public health issue!  3/

We are yet in another heatwave, and the question remains: what is the City doing to support people who are unhoused?  June 22 in the last heat wave,we saw 111 people during 3-hour of outreach. Out of the 111 individuals, only 22 people had access to a shelter bed or a tent. 1/

In addition to hot meals, we also give out bagged lunches that are sometimes the only thing our guests have to eat the next day. Is your faith group/work/friends able to help us make 200 sandwiches monthly or a frequency you're able? Please contact: MealProgramStLukes@gmail.com

It’s National Volunteer Week! We simply couldn’t do this work without our volunteers’ steadfast commitment & unwavering dedication & compassion. Their generosity make a significant difference in many lives as they support the efforts to fight food insecurity. Thank you!

We are looking for a part-time coordinator for our meal program! Are you passionate about providing care and support to the downtown East community? Are you good with details & logistics? Job posting here: tinyurl.com/OOTC-Hiring Don't miss the deadline!

Are you passionate about providing care and support to the downtown East community? Are you good with details & logistics? Do you have a knack for creating * nurturing community partnerships? We are hiring a part-time coordinator! Full posting here: tinyurl.com/OOTC-Hiring

✔️ snowstorm this past wed: we opened and did outreach. ✔️ snowstorm tonight: we are opening and on outreach!! we are committed to supporting our communities through providing hot meals and are so grateful to everyone for partnering with us and cheering on our work!

📣 shoutout to our longtime outreach volunteer, Fortunato Durutti Marinetti, who rocked the Cameron House this past weekend & was obviously the sharpest dressed guy in the room. The only thing missing was a squeeze box. The music was uplifting. What a night!

Disabled people are an afterthought, and it's killing us. TUHU members speak out in partnership with @SHJNetwork to call on the city for prioritizing the immediate need for accessibility in the shelter system, TCHC, and beyond. cbc.ca/news/canada/to…

In an unprecedented announcement, the City of Toronto declared a food insecurity crisis. Stats are grim: 1 in 10 people in Toronto rely on food banks. We see this crisis first-hand in our program. Pls consider supporting us financially to help us continue feeding the community!

Rafi, our coordinator, deputed in regards to the City budget. We need to fund long-term solutions to the housing & food insecurity crisis, NOT spend millions on evicting encampments: a tactic to displace people, cause harm, & invisibilize homelessness. 👇🏼 youtu.be/g3lKy5C2zm0?fe…

They ignored their own reviews and reports citing they had evidence to close them - with the looming legal challenge, they desperately are trying to build the evidence they didn’t have by hiring former cops to dig it up. They didn’t have the evidence and still don’t.

More info at saintlukesunitedchurch.com and donate at canadahelps.org/en/dn/32333 please help #Toronto #TOpoli 🩵🥶🥶🥶❄️