MEDIA RELEASE: Sudbury homeless still out in the cold

For Immediate Release

Continued lack of Emergency Shelter leaves homeless out in the cold

Sudbury, February 13, 2013 -The Sudbury Coalition Against Poverty has been demanding that the City set up an Emergency Shelter since last November, when the Mission announced it could no longer stay open to allow homeless people some shelter from the cold.  At that time Phil Marsh of S-CAP pointed out that “our daily contact with and support work for people living in poverty has made S-CAP well aware of how getting out of the cold in the Sudbury winter is crucial to the survival of many homeless people.” “The City has a responsibility to provide warmth and shelter for homeless people in this city”, he insisted.  On International Human Rights Day the urgency of this situation was highlighted by SCAP to councillors in Council Chambers immediately prior to their meeting.

In a report to the City Community Services Committee in January SCAP made Councillors and staff aware of the fact that many homeless people are sleeping on couches at other people’s places or sleeping on their floors.  And others are even sleeping outside in the cold this winter. It was also pointed out that CHPI funding needed to maintain the same levels and policies of the previous Community Start-Up and Maintenance Benefit to allow at least some homeless people to get housing and prevent more people from falling into homelessness.  To bring home the need to address this urgent situation S-CAP disrupted the last City Council meeting in January and a chamber-full of citizens called out shame and applauded the activists for raising this urgent concern.

On February 3rd the Community Services Committee passed a motion to establish an Emergency Shelter in Sudbury. Another motion raised amounts for Discretionary Benefits to help people maintain their homes without, however, restoring previous levels of funding that would serve better to prevent homelessness. A third motion was also passed on using the old police station if a timely agreement could not be arrived at with the Salvation Army. Yet there is still no Emergency Shelter up and running. Even if negotiations are underway, City needs to set up an Emergency Shelter in the old police station in the meantime.  Cots for sleeping have already been arranged since last week.  City cannot continue leaving the homeless out in the cold.

The Sudbury Coalition Against Poverty is demanding that City make an Emergency Shelter open to all homeless people immediately in the old police station.  It must be dependable, open all the time from now till the end of March, as was promised to the Sudbury Coalition Against Poverty by Luisa Valle, Director of Social Services at a meeting on February 3rd.  There must be full flexibility as a drop-in and the possibility of sleeping.  It needs to be completely free with no vouchers, no need to register, no process involved, no ID necessary. Religious restrictions are not acceptable, nor any restrictions that mean some people can come in and others not.  The Emergency Shelter needs to be started immediately. And to help prevent more people from becoming homeless City still needs to bring levels of start-up and maintenance funding under the CHPI program back up to their previous levels.

S-CAP is looking forward to immediate action from the City on these urgent matters.  As temperatures sometimes now inch above the cold weather level that alerts that the Mission is open, this means that on well below zero nights there are some homeless people sleeping out in the snow and cold.

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