Toronto Disaster Relief Committee
c/o 168 Bathurst St.
Toronto, ON
M5V 2R4


September, 98

Dear Friends,

The Toronto Disaster Relief Committee is asking you to endorse our call to
have all levels of government declare homelessness a NATIONAL DISASTER,
which requires immediate, emergency, humanitarian relief.

We are a group made up of housing experts, academics, business people,
health care workers, social workers, anti-poverty activists, and the faith
community.  We have worked with homeless people, studied homelessness, and
have watched the homeless crisis worsen daily.  We have bandaged the
injuries caused by being homeless and have attended the funerals of many
homeless people.

We have asked ourselves these questions: Why is this crisis not dealt with
like the ice storm in Eastern Canada, or like the flooding in Manitoba?  Why
are governments not responding to the hundreds of homeless people's deaths?
Why are they ignoring the threat of diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV/AIDs,
and hepatitis which are related to people's homelessness? Why is it that
common sense doesn't dictate that this is one of the largest and most
serious national disasters that Canada has ever faced?

Our answer has been to come together and to draw up a call for Disaster
Relief.  The most basic human rights of a section of our community are being
violated. We cannot sit idly by and let this misery and death continue - the
time now is to act.  We need massive and immediate government intervention.

We appeal to you to endorse our call for action, join our committee, and/or
to set up your own committee and send out a similar call. Attached is a form
we are asking you to sign. Please send it back to us as soon as possible.

Sincerely,


Cathy Crowe RN, on behalf of the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee

Note: Members of the committee are listed at the end of the two page State
of Emergency Declaration


******************************************************************************

Call For National Disaster Relief for Homelessness



(please print) I (name) ___________________________, on behalf of
(organization if applicable)________________________________endorse the call
made by the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee to have all levels of
government declare homelessness a national disaster and to respond with
immediate short and long term humanitarian relief.

Signed by       ______________________________
Address         ______________________________
                ______________________________
                ______________________________
Phone           ______________________________
Fax             ______________________________
Email           ______________________________


SEND TO: Toronto Disaster Relief Committee c/o Cathy Crowe, Fax:
416-703-6190 or [log in to unmask] or
mail to 168 Bathurst St. Toronto, ON, M5V 2R4


Committee contacts:
Cathy Crowe, 416-703-8482 (117)
Beric German, 416-964-2459


In the deserts of the heart
Let the healing fountain start  (W.H. Auden)

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