A Message To Mayors & City & Town Councils In Niagara & Across Ontario- HOMELESSNESS IS A CRISIS, NOT A CRIME!

Sign A Petition To Urge The Province and Local Municipalities Not To Use Forceful Means To Tear Apart Encampments for the Homeless

‘The Niagara Poverty Reduction Network does not support the use of the notwithstanding clause to dismantle encampments by force; as was suggested by Premier Ford and recently supported by Niagara Falls, Welland, and St. Catharines mayors. Using police force and the threat of jail to clear encampments is neither compassionate nor effective.”

A Call-Out To All of Us from the Niagara Poverty Reduction Network

Posted November 20^th, 2024 on Niagara At Large

As the gap between the haves and the have-nots grows, so do the number of homeless camps across Niagara and the rest of Ontario

Niagara, Ontario – The Niagara Poverty Reduction Network (NPRN) supports the position of the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness on the use of force and threat of criminalization to clear encampments. As a network we encourage everyone to sign this petition and share it through your social channels.

Across Ontario, the rising cost of living and unaffordable housing have forced more people into homelessness, with many resorting to encampments in public spaces. But tents in parks are not the answer—everyone deserves a safe and stable home.

NPRN does not support the use of the notwithstanding clause to dismantle encampments by force; as was suggested by Premier Ford and recently supported by Niagara Falls, Welland, and St. Catharines mayors. Using police force and the threat of jail to clear encampments is neither compassionate nor effective.

Houselessness is an emergency, and we should respond to it as we would to any disaster—with care, shelter, and support, not punishment.

Real solutions require communities to work together with those affected to provide safe, secure housing options. The only real cure for homelessness is a permanent home.

To sign the petition to municipal mayors and their councils, click on – Mayor & City Council: Homelessness is a crisis, not a crime.

• Kindest regards, Jennifer Gauthier, NPRN Chair

For more information on this and related issues, click on the following NPRN link –

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