By Fred Alvarado Fred is a community journalist with FOCUS MEDIA ARTS CENTRE

In front of the Moss Park Armoury, a coalition of leaders across the health care, homelessness and refugee sectors called for the government to take action on the deepening shelter and refugee crisis in the city.

The press conference was hosted by leaders from various community organizations serving homeless people and asylum seekers in the Downtown East communities, including All Saints Church Community Drop-In Centre, Street Haven Women’s Shelter, Health Providers Against Poverty, and Parkdale Activity-Recreation Centre.

The coalition stood outside the Moss Park Armoury to demand the federal government take the necessary steps to use armouries and other indoor spaces as temporary shelters, open a reception centre for homeless African refugees and asylum claimants, and work on long term solutions to help people live dignified lives.

On November 8th, 2023, City Council voted in favour of a motion to call on the Canadian government to both fund and make operational emergency accommodation at its sites, including armouries, as well as establish a regional refugee reception centre. A letter, signed by Mayor Olivia Chow and a majority of councillors, is addressed to National Defence Minister Bill Blair to immediately open and operationalize the federal armouries in Toronto, to provide emergency indoor accommodation for refugee claimants this winter. There are currently five federal armouries in the city. The ones at Moss Park and Fort York were used for emergency shelter on four different occasions, most recently at the downtown east location in 2018.