Roehampton Residence Community Liaison Committee
Meeting #6 Roehampton Shelter: June 8, 2022, 5:30 – 7:00 pm
Roll Call, Purpose & Agenda Review: Hellen Haziprodromu
Hellen Haziprodromu: SSA – Roehampton
Acire Julius Labeja: Program Coordinator – Roehampton
Vanita Arora: Program Supervisor- Roehampton
Giuliana Viani: Shift Leader – Roehampton
Deb Whalen-Blaize: Church of the Transfiguration
Adam Saunders: Midtown Safety Group
Jane Auster: South Eglinton Davisville Residents’ Association
Lancelyn Rayman-Watters: EPRA
Laura Inglis: 900 Mount Pleasant Road
Rev. Stephen Milton: Lawrence Park Community Church
Marius Sinclair: First Christian Reformed Church
Wilmar Kortleever: School Board Trustee Representative
Rika Vander Laan: First Christian Reform Church
Vanita Arora- Program Supervisor, Roehampton Hotel
Vanita was introduced to RCLC members, she is the Program Supervisor and
currently acting in Nicole Williams’s absence as Manager
Thanking members for donations such as Christmas Bags, just used up the
remaining bags for the vaccination clinic
Sunnybrook clinic occurs month to month and nurses and staff member go door
to door for the vaccination clinic which helps build rapport with clients
RCLC Introduction of Committee Members
Julius –Program Coordinator Shelter Updates
Roehampton Statistics
136 clients
44 female
91 male
1 Trans
8 people with mobility/ assistive devices
8 pets
17 seniors who are 65 years and older
Donations
First Christian Reform Church donated a Gazebo/ Chairs
North United Church generously donates the Welcome Home Baskets and has
been shared with SWS
Due to the overwhelming donations of the Welcome Home Baskets there has
been a halt on the donation of them for the next 2 months
Questions from Community Members about Roehampton- Open discussion
Occupancy Numbers
Discussion around occupancy numbers due to auditors report there is a lot of
curiosity in the community around Roehampton’s current bed space numbers
Currently at 139 and this is due to the rooms being both single and couple
spaces, depending on the need
14 rooms are closed due to suspected mold and thus a health and safety
concern therefore will remain offline for a while
Client Housing Success Rates
Questions around how many clients have been housed, 5 clients have been
successful in the last month at obtaining housing
Number of clients getting housed might not seem like a lot but it is quite an
achievement
Hellen Haziprodromu- SSA Supervisor- Housing Barriers
Hellen discussed Housing Connection and how this service no longer exists,
most forums are online now and therefore less accessible
Rent geared to income is not just for people who are experiencing homelessness,
many people apply for this as well
City is and continues to do a lot of work around housing clients
Other challenges are finding a landlord who will accept clients
COBH is a new housing benefit program funded by the Province and
administered by the City. There are still challenges with the program, finding
landlords who would agree to participate and the time frame in which funds are
eventually released cause a burden to the landlord and client.
The longer someone remains in a shelter their like skills and independence will
be impacted, and also create dependence on the ‘system’. For many individuals
there is a sense of security being in a shelter and not having to be responsible for
ones day to day.
For many clients it’s a transition when they move out, and adapting to now being
housed, in a different community, and possible isolation. On-going connection
with the client for the first number of months is critical.
Shelters are supposed to be ‘short term emergency shelter, but this is no longer
the case for many clients.
We should probably be looking at different models of shelters, transitional
housing opportunities, and creative permanent housing models.
Procedure around Bed Checks
We are responsible to ensure each of our ‘beds’ are occupied overnight, and this
is particularly important during this time of occupancy pressures.
Therefore, bed checks are conducted at 11pm, 1am, and 3am; if a client is in
their room during one of these times further bed checks are not required.
If a client is not present for any of the three bed check times they are considered
not present/occupying the bed, and this can result in a discharge from the
shelter.
Turnover rate tends to be 10-20 people in a given month
Overview of different types of Shelters
Hellen explained the different types of shelter programs available
Some shelters do require clients to leave during the day, and that is mainly due
to funding; while other shelters are able to have clients stay on site for the day.
Clients will be asked to vacate their rooms only during the times the room is be
cleaned. Hotel Shelters consist of rooms for single people and couples; single
people will share a room and couples have a private room. Except for couples
rooms all other rooms at Roehampton are shared.
There is also 129 Peter Street which is a location for those ‘sleeping rough’ can
access 24/7 for ‘respite’ or a shelter bed. In addition, the City funds Drop Ins
which are funded to be open 24/7 for those seeking respite.
And, during heat or cold weather alerts additional spaces will become available in
the shelter system for individuals/couples to access.
Tour of Roehampton Shelter
The feedback and comments were very positive during the tour.
The group appreciated being able to come on site and see the site firsthand.
7pm Meeting adjourned