Toronto is no world-class city when a Homeless Memorial reaches 1,000 names.

Please join us if you can.

The 1000th name will be added to Toronto’s Homeless Memorial

Tuesday, January 14, 2020 at 12 noon 

Outside of the Church Of The Holy Trinity, 19 Trinity Square (west of Eaton Centre). (Note location is accessible and a lunch will be provided.)

The memorial will be followed by a silent march to City Hall to deliver Mayor Tory a petition signed by 25,000 people demanding the Mayor declare an emergency on homelessness.  

(TORONTO) A ceremony marking the 1,000th name added to the Homeless Memorial will take place on Tuesday, January 14, at noon at the Homeless Memorial, located outside of the Church of the Holy Trinity, 19 Trinity Square. Those who have lost loved ones, front-line workers, clergy, advocates, volunteers and the community at large will gather to acknowledge this solemn occasion.

During the ceremony ten names will be added to the Homeless Memorial.

Beric German, one of the speakers, has spent the last 35 years organizing such initiatives as the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee, and working in the sector, stated that, "We come here today to protest injury and death. We are witnesses and we come here to bear witness. Out of our work have come many reforms but not enough and thus we continue."

Others speakers include: The Right Reverend Jenny Andison, Suffragan Bishop, Diocese of Toronto, Area Bishop York-Credit Valley; Akia Munga from the Toronto Overdose Prevention Society; Yogi Acharya, Organizer for the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty; and Rabbi Baruch Frydman-Kohl, Rabbi Emeritus, Beth Tzedec Congregation.

After the ceremony pins depicting a sprawled-out body that represent a crime scene will be distributed to the attendees. Street Nurse Cathy Crowe noted, “The vast majority of these deaths were preventable. I consider the inaction by all three levels of government criminally negligent.”

This will be followed by a silent march to City Hall to present Mayor Tory with the Shelter Housing Justice Network’s petition, signed by 25,000 people, demanding he declare an emergency on homelessness. 

One of the demands in the petition is for the immediate opening of 2,000 shelter beds in order to stop the on-going suffering and deaths. 

While the presentation of the petition to Mayor Tory is taking place those gathered outside of his office will read out the 1,000 names on the Homeless Memorial.