OCAP's Homeless Fight Back!
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Help fund OCAP's fight back!
The Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) has been at the forefront of the struggle against homelessness and poverty for 25 years. We are a direct action group focused on fighting against policies and laws that target the most marginalized people. OCAP fights on multiple levels; we've staged large-scale public actions, including protests, occupations, community meals and meetings, but we also offer help and assistance to individual people facing repression and discrimination, like folks on OW or ODSP who can't access the benefits they're entitled to. In short, OCAP has been a vital and essential component of the fight against austerity in Ontario and has served as an inspiration to similarly minded groups the world over. We are proof that, as communities, we can successfully fight back against the forces that make life miserable for poor, homeless and vulnerable people.
This year, the need for an organization like OCAP is more pronounced than ever. Already this year, in Toronto, we've seen one homeless shelter, the Hope Shelter, close its doors, resulting in a loss of 124 shelter beds , and as the City continues with the "redevelopment" of George Street, we stand to lose even more beds at Seaton House and the School House , all while the City has repeatedly promised to keep shelter occupancy below 90% capacity . Homeless women, trans* people, disabled folks and families are often unable to access appropriate beds or safe spaces. All over, existing shelter space is stretched to capacity and conditions in what space exists are dire, with extensive overcrowding and crumbling infrastructure.
By way of example, 2015 has already seen outbreaks of gastric illness in several shelters across the downtown and, in the winter of this year, several homeless people froze to death on the streets of Toronto . The shelter system is in a state of crisis and all levels of government have done little but shrug as people get sick and die from their neglect. But it's not just homeless people bearing the brunt of this assault: as upscale condo development continues in the downtown, low-income and working people are being forced out of their homes, unable to afford sky-rocketing rents as our neighbourhoods gentrify.
In the face of such overwhelming adversity, OCAP has, this year alone, won concrete victories. We were instrumental in putting public pressure on the City to open warming centers for the duration of one of the coldest winters on record . We campaigned for over a year to get the City to open dedicated 24-hour drop-in spaces for women and trans* people and, last month, the City finally capitulated, agreeing to open 2 such spaces before the end of this year. We've been fighting the province regarding the implementation of the new SAMS (Social Assistance Management System) software, which has left many people unable to receive their OW/ODSP benefits, and won a major victory by preventing the eviction of Andrew McLean due to a SAMS error until he could find new accomodations. And this is just in the last 4 months! OCAP has a long, storied history of victories against overwhelming odds and impossible circumstances. Our motto is "fight to win" and, despite operating largely on a shoestring budget and volunteer labour, we definitely do.
In order to keep fighting and winning, OCAP needs your support. Organizing around shelter issues and homelessness presents many challenges that other political organizations might not have to deal with. We need to be able to pay for the usual things a group like ours requires, including office space, printing costs, booking meeting rooms, etc. but because of the difficulties unique to organizing with the most marginalized populations, we also need to be able to pay for food, transit costs and even legal expenses. All this means that, now more than ever, we need the financial support of our allies like you.
You can donate here via our GoFundMe page, or you can become a monthly sustainer, offering a recurring donation that can be processed by us electronically (contact us via this page for more information on the sustainer program). In either case, your donation will help fund OCAP's fight back against homelessness and loss of services and ensure that we can continue the vital work of being an organization of and for poor people.
Contact us:
Twitter
Facebook
Web
The Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) has been at the forefront of the struggle against homelessness and poverty for 25 years. We are a direct action group focused on fighting against policies and laws that target the most marginalized people. OCAP fights on multiple levels; we've staged large-scale public actions, including protests, occupations, community meals and meetings, but we also offer help and assistance to individual people facing repression and discrimination, like folks on OW or ODSP who can't access the benefits they're entitled to. In short, OCAP has been a vital and essential component of the fight against austerity in Ontario and has served as an inspiration to similarly minded groups the world over. We are proof that, as communities, we can successfully fight back against the forces that make life miserable for poor, homeless and vulnerable people.
This year, the need for an organization like OCAP is more pronounced than ever. Already this year, in Toronto, we've seen one homeless shelter, the Hope Shelter, close its doors, resulting in a loss of 124 shelter beds , and as the City continues with the "redevelopment" of George Street, we stand to lose even more beds at Seaton House and the School House , all while the City has repeatedly promised to keep shelter occupancy below 90% capacity . Homeless women, trans* people, disabled folks and families are often unable to access appropriate beds or safe spaces. All over, existing shelter space is stretched to capacity and conditions in what space exists are dire, with extensive overcrowding and crumbling infrastructure.
By way of example, 2015 has already seen outbreaks of gastric illness in several shelters across the downtown and, in the winter of this year, several homeless people froze to death on the streets of Toronto . The shelter system is in a state of crisis and all levels of government have done little but shrug as people get sick and die from their neglect. But it's not just homeless people bearing the brunt of this assault: as upscale condo development continues in the downtown, low-income and working people are being forced out of their homes, unable to afford sky-rocketing rents as our neighbourhoods gentrify.
In the face of such overwhelming adversity, OCAP has, this year alone, won concrete victories. We were instrumental in putting public pressure on the City to open warming centers for the duration of one of the coldest winters on record . We campaigned for over a year to get the City to open dedicated 24-hour drop-in spaces for women and trans* people and, last month, the City finally capitulated, agreeing to open 2 such spaces before the end of this year. We've been fighting the province regarding the implementation of the new SAMS (Social Assistance Management System) software, which has left many people unable to receive their OW/ODSP benefits, and won a major victory by preventing the eviction of Andrew McLean due to a SAMS error until he could find new accomodations. And this is just in the last 4 months! OCAP has a long, storied history of victories against overwhelming odds and impossible circumstances. Our motto is "fight to win" and, despite operating largely on a shoestring budget and volunteer labour, we definitely do.
In order to keep fighting and winning, OCAP needs your support. Organizing around shelter issues and homelessness presents many challenges that other political organizations might not have to deal with. We need to be able to pay for the usual things a group like ours requires, including office space, printing costs, booking meeting rooms, etc. but because of the difficulties unique to organizing with the most marginalized populations, we also need to be able to pay for food, transit costs and even legal expenses. All this means that, now more than ever, we need the financial support of our allies like you.
You can donate here via our GoFundMe page, or you can become a monthly sustainer, offering a recurring donation that can be processed by us electronically (contact us via this page for more information on the sustainer program). In either case, your donation will help fund OCAP's fight back against homelessness and loss of services and ensure that we can continue the vital work of being an organization of and for poor people.
Contact us:
Web
Organizer
Pat Fifield
Organizer
Toronto, ON