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'It won't change my mind at all': Holder responds to hunger strike after meeting with homeless advocates

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A planned hunger strike is moving forward after a meeting between London City Hall and The Forgotten 519 — a homeless advocacy group — fell apart Tuesday afternoon.

According to a press release issued by The Forgotten 519, the organization says their organizing committee met with the mayor and other members of London City Hall at 1:00 p.m. Tuesday regarding an ultimatum the organization issued the city.

“We went into our meeting with the city hoping for serious conversation regarding how to implement these necessary, life-saving changes but we were sorely disappointed,” the release says.

The Forgotten 519 is a coalition of Londoners comprised of physicians, frontline workers, outreach workers and advocates who seek to help London’s homeless.

The organization says the city had one week to address a list of demands addressing the epidemic of homeless people who “die preventable deaths” on London’s streets, or else a member of the organization would begin a public hunger strike.

The Forgotten 519 says that due to the failure of Tuesday’s meeting, a planned hunger strike outside of city hall will commence at 9:00 a.m. on Aug. 2.

Speaking to CTV News London Tuesday, Mayor Ed Holder says he has a "soft spot" for individuals who care about society's most vulnerable, but that the planned hunger strike won't change his mind. 

“I certainly can’t stop them. They are within their legal rights. Will it change my view of our need to continue to move as we have on behalf of housing issues for our most vulnerable? It won’t change my mind at all. We will go forward.”

“The City listened to the direct feedback from well over 100 other frontline workers, and still no resolution. We were told what services were being provided to people on the street. However, we know what services are running. We know what supports are being offered. This is our area of expertise,” the release says.

Holder adds that The Forgotten 519 should discuss the issue with the London Homeless Coalition — a series of agencies that city hall works with — and was surprised a discussion between two organizations had not yet taken place. 

In Holder's opinion, London's homeless epidemic is not a crisis city hall can tackle alone. 

"I think we were exceptionally clear about all the levels of government and agencies that have to participate to deal with our most vulnerable, to deal with issues around mental health and addictions," he said. 

In a press release issued Monday, the organization says Londoners experiencing homelessness are “dying premature and preventable deaths at an ever-increasing rate” and that “inadequate resources” are being dedicated by the city to the emergency.

The Forgotten 519’s list of demands include:

  • Immediate cessation of any removal of encampments, tents, campsites, or squats in city parks, along the Thames Valley Parkway, and in empty city lots, or lots that have been left to fall into disrepair by the property owners
  • Immediate transition of the City of London’s Coordinated Informed Response (CIR) Team from a displacement model, to a team that offers meaningful support (based on the self-identified needs of the campers) to campers at their campsites
  • Immediate creation of two indoor spaces (one in the core, one in the east end) that provide 24/7 support to people who are deprived of housing and shelter, or who simply need a safe place to be

“There was no resolution to today's meeting, only the offer for another one. In common practice, time and time again, they talk and people die,” the release reads.

The Forgotten 519 acknowledges that their list of demands are not a “silver bullet or a cure-all for poverty,” but that the implementation of their demands “will make a real, life-giving, and life-saving difference in the lives of those most vulnerable and oppressed Londoners.”

According to The Forgotten 519, 34 homeless people have died in London this year.

A statement from the City of London

In response to The Forgotten 519's meeting with city officials, the City of London issued the following statement to CTV News London Tuesday night:

"We were encouraged that representatives of #TheForgotten519 were open to meeting today. We share the concerns that they have expressed for London’s most vulnerable and also share in the sense of urgency to create solutions that will have an impact on people whose lives are at risk. We also know that frontline workers are doing work that is incredibly challenging, and that is often heartbreaking. City staff, as well as staff in the organizations across the community who deliver support services, also experience this first-hand.

The issues underlying homelessness, addictions and mental health conditions that are prevalent among our vulnerable population are complex and multi-layered. We know that the people who are experiencing homelessness, struggling with addictions and mental health issues are best served when the work is done collaboratively and with the support of multiple agencies across the system. Unilateral solutions without broad involvement and support have not proven successful. We have strongly encouraged this newly formed coalition to meet with the London Homeless Coalition to discuss their recommended actions and to also work with them in identifying collaborative solutions. The City has made every effort, both from a financial and resource perspective, to tackle these problems together, on the advice and direction of and with cooperation from community agencies. We were also disappointed with the outcome of the meeting and are concerned that this new organization does not intend to work with established service providers.

Our response through the CIR has and will continue to be compassionate and caring, with outreach and offer of supports as the first step. We recognize that each encampment is unique and have approached them as such. In all instances, the first concern is for the health and safety of the individuals and of the surrounding area. In instances where an encampment is not posing any risk to the individuals or the surrounding area, they have been allowed to remain in place. Where encampments have been removed, individuals have been supported. Every effort is made to safely handle and store personal valuables of people who have moved or during the clean-up of a vacant encampment when valuables are left behind. When staff are engaging with encampments, they also consider food security, availability of water, warm clothing, as other examples of the factors that may impact an individual’s well being.

The City’s focus has and will continue to be on solutions that move individuals towards housing, and we have made progress on that front. We are committed to working together to address these issues and to explore new solutions collectively and collaboratively. We are concerned about the actions they are demanding. These are complex social issues that require all levels of government, community agencies and other stakeholders to work together to provide public, social and health-related supports." 

— With files from CTV News London's Daryl Newcombe 

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