Concerns over relocation of SafeSpace shelter to OEV
A shelter that offers support to sex workers will soon be relocating to Old East Village, and while the move is positive news for the shelter, not all residents feel the same way.
SafeSpace London offers support to women in the sex trade, and after a long and challenging search, the agency has managed to find a new and larger location to address its expanding client base.
“At our current location, with number of folks increasing who are accessing, in combination with COVID, we haven't been able safely have our community indoors,” said Jenna Rose Sands, SafeSpace London executive director.
In early March, SafeSpace will move from Rectory and Hamilton streets to the corner of Dundas and Lyle streets in Old East Village. The new location will also house 20 resting beds for temporary shelter.
But concerns are now being raised over a lack of consultation as Old East Village tries to reinvigorate the area.
“To ensure that we're not interfering with the core-area action plan in trying to do the revitalization,” said Susan Stevenson, Ward 4 councillor.
It’s also a concern for the owner of Unique Food Attitudes, a restaurant specializing in Polish cuisine. According to Barbara Czys, a revitalization of the area has been a long time coming.
"That's what we're hoping, that's what we're looking for as a business owner,” she said.
She worries about a concentration of social agencies in Old East Village and the impact they may have.
"I've been here 11 years struggling every single day,” she said. I do feel compassion for those people but it's a very difficult time for many of us."
Sands is confident there will be positive change as a result of the new SafeSpace location and other initiatives taking place across the city that will ultimately benefit the whole community.
According to Sands, it starts with addressing the unique needs of different groups, including sex trade workers.
"What is safe for me, may not be safe for you. So, just having one-size-fits-all for resting spaces, it just doesn't work,” she explained.
Sands said her agency will be reaching out to new neighbours to address concerns and build relationships.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.