Publication date: Aug 5, 2022 • 13 hours ago • 3 min read • 32 comments Jenna Rose Sands, Dan Oudshoorn, Andrea Sereda and Leticia Mizon (left to right), organizers with Forgotten 519, celebrate after reaching an agreement with city hall , marking the end of the Oudshoorn hunger strike, on Friday, August 5, 2020. (MEGAN STACEY/ The London Free Press)

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An agreement between city officials and a coalition of frontline homeless workers ended a hunger strike on the steps of city hall.

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#TheForgotten519 coalition, the city and the agencies involved in the discussions announced the end of the strike late Friday afternoon. It appears that most of the coalition’s demands to change the way the city approaches homeless encampments have been met. There is also a commitment to planning new ‘support shelters’ before winter. “The solutions outline key actions and timelines to ensure that people in camps receive immediate support,” a news release from the alliance, city hall and municipal organizations. says. “Highlights in this plan include a shift in the response to the camps to focus on outreach and support first, with charters only being involved at their request. greater involvement of frontline workers in the camps; additional resources such as providing showers and increasing water supplies. additional training for municipal law enforcement officials; and agreed upon parameters to guide when and how an encampment will be removed.”

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A meeting on what the agreements refer to as “24/7 support” will take place in mid-August, the statement said. “The goal is to have a plan ready within four weeks,” the statement said. Laborer and coalition member Dan Oudshoorn’s hunger strike began on Tuesday in protest at city strategies that appear to do little to prevent the deaths of London’s most vulnerable homeless people, those living outside due to complex medical, physical and mental challenges. At least 34 people experiencing homelessness have died this year, up from 74 the previous year, the coalition says. The coalition called on the city to stop moving homeless people from their encampments to vacant lots, fields and the river, saying it puts them at greater risk and hurts people who are already dealing with trauma. The coalition also wanted the city’s central response unit to focus less on law enforcement and more on caring for the homeless. Finally, the coalition wants the city to create two new shelters.

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City officials initially insisted that they were only removing large and dangerous encampments, that the central unit was focused on helping people and that there were no funds for two new shelters. However, representatives from the city, the coalition and community services have spent the past two days negotiating an end to the hunger strike. “I feel a whole mix of emotions,” Oudshoorn said as the strike ended. “I’m really happy to see the way the community has come together. I am so relieved that we are taking a new course of action. I also feel very sad for all the people I know who died because it took so long for this change to come.” Since he hasn’t eaten in a week, soup is the first thing on the menu. But then he wants a burger, ribs and all-you-can-eat buffet, Oudshoorn said. “TheForgotten519 are shocked and grateful to their community for making these emergency actions possible,” the coalition said in a statement. “We have seen the power of the collective voice of the frontline and how this can achieve change. Although this was not always done, it was clear evidence that these things were necessary and achievable.”

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The hunger strike on the front lawn of City Hall is officially over, frontline workers and city staff announced in a joint statement. Dan Oudshoorn has only had electrolyte water since 9 a.m. Tuesday when he began the strike at a tent outside 300 Dufferin. #LdnOnt pic.twitter.com/eqqkZSsAxg — Megan Stacey (@MeganatLFPress) August 5, 2022
Kevin Deakins, the city’s deputy director of community and health development, said the talks over the past two days were difficult, but the perspective of frontline workers was essential. “Through the sessions, both yesterday and today, we have identified steps we can take – across the city and across the system – to better support people experiencing homelessness, addictions and episodic mental health challenges,” he said in a statement. . London Cares outreach was one of the agencies involved in the discussions. “We appreciate everyone’s commitment and flexibility as we work quickly with immediate responses and look to the near-term future for more medium- and long-term solutions,” Anne Armstrong, executive director, said in a statement. [email protected] [email protected]

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