>
>Toronto Disaster Relief Committee
>
>Media advisory
>April 10, 2000
>
>Toronto's homelessness disaster toll:
>19 confirmed deaths in past 22 weeks
>
>Vigil for the latest victims: Tuesday, April 11 * noon
>outside the old Princess Margaret Hospital
>(Sherbourne and Wellesley Streets)
>
>The Toronto Disaster Relief Committee (TDRC) has added three more names to
>its list of homeless people who have died since last November. Mr. Bob
>Baran died in his sleep in a hostel, on February 4th. Mr. Kirabel Mekonnen
>took his own life and died on Friday, March 31st. Mr. Bill McGrath was
>murdered in the early hours of April 5, 2000, in a downtown men's hostel.
>
>"Every one of the 19 deaths on our list have been officially confirmed by
>the Coroner's Office," says Kira Heineck, Co-ordinator of the Toronto
>Disaster Relief Committee. "We know that there have been other homeless
>deaths over this same period. We hope that people in the community will
>come forward with information on other deaths."
>
>"It has been eighteen months since Toronto City Council officially declared
>homelessness a National Disaster and the body count continues to grow at a
>tragic rate," says Cathy Crowe, a street nurse and founding member of TDRC.
>"The stain of each one of these deaths is on federal and provincial
>governments, which cancelled housing programs and cut health care and other
>services for the homeless. The stain is also on federal, provincial and
>municipal politicians who refuse to take the basic steps to restore funding
>for housing and services. Each death is an indictment of our elected
>representatives."
>
>TDRC and its allies will gather at a homeless shelter in Toronto at noon on
>Tuesday, April 11th, for a vigil to remember the most recent deaths. The
>event will be held at the former Princess Margaret Hospital. The
>provincially-owned building has been operating as a homeless shelter in
>recent months, but is scheduled to close later this month.
>
>For information:
>Kira Heineck
>416-703-8482, x411
or Cathy Crowe 416-703-8482 x117
>
>
>


Housing Now!

Cathy Crowe, RN
[log in to unmask]
416-703-8482 (117)
416-703-6190 (fax)