With the clock ticking towards a potential hunger strike at London City Hall, municipal officials have met with the leaders of #TheForgotten519.
The group, made up of front-line professionals who work with those are are homeless, has given the city a list of demands that must be met in order to stop the proposed hunger strike from happening on Tuesday morning.
The City of London released a statement on Friday morning.
“This morning we met with representatives of the #TheForgotten519. We share their concerns for the vulnerable people in London and agree that we, like many cities, are at a crisis point. We also appreciate that conversations throughout the week have created an even greater awareness of just how difficult these times are for people who are experiencing homelessness, addictions or mental health challenges. We grieve as well whenever a person passes away at the hands of poverty, addiction, or inadequate housing support.
These are complex social issues. Solutions, whether they are focused on the immediate term or the long term, will only come through cooperation and collaboration among all of the agencies working to support members of our community who are in crisis. As a community, we are doing everything we can to support people today and to help move them towards supportive and permanent housing in the future. And we are continually looking for additional ways to work together with community agencies to enhance supports and respond to emerging needs. That work never stops,” the city wrote in a release, which was not attributed to the mayor or any specific city staffer.
The release came after one from #TheForgotten519, issued earlier in the week, which called said the city was attempting to “brush us off as fringe activists”.
Refusing to provide @CityofLdnOnt with the names of frontline professionals means we recognize the doxing of our peers and friends is wrong. It does not mean we are fringe activists without support, this rhetoric deflects and is a further waste of time. pic.twitter.com/Tw8FDdhkri
— The Forgotten 519 (@Forgotten519) July 27, 2022
The group had three core demands.
•Immediate ending of the removal of encampments, tents, campsites, or squats in city parks, along the Thames Valley Parkway, and in empty city lots, or lots 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 deprived of housing and shelter or needing a safe place to be.
In response to the first point, the city said the following in Friday’s release:
“To be clear, the City currently does permit safe encampments. Through the Community Informed Response program, we are currently monitoring close to 350 active encampments. In July, there were only four notices for removal were posted, two of which were on private property and one was on a public sidewalk. Our approach to encampments continues to be on a case by case basis. When the Community Informed Response team visits an encampment, the primary concern is health and safety always, for the individuals at the encampment as well as in the surrounding areas. The approach has not been to displace and tear down encampments. It begins with outreach and supports.”
The hunger strike is scheduled to begin on Tuesday morning.
The city’s release says there are concerns about what will happen if the strike goes ahead.
“We are concerned about the demands and believe that the actions they have outlined will put the health and safety of London’s most vulnerable people at greater risk. Our commitment has and will continue to be to support and provide services to individuals experiencing homelessness, addictions and mental health challenges, and to continually explore collaborative, meaningful and effective ways to do more to support those people in our community who are most vulnerable, in the immediate and in the short term.”
There has yet to be a response from #TheForgotten519.
