Youth lose programming at Regent Park Community Centre as city scrambles for shelter space

‘We really need to think about emergency shelters during cold patches where it doesn’t affect other vulnerable populations,’ said Councillor Lucy Troisi, appointed to represent Ward 28.

Thestar.com
Jan. 25, 2018
Ainslie Cruickshank

Toronto’s scramble to provide emergency refuge for the homeless as icy weather took hold left youth in Regent Park largely shut out of their community centre, highlighting more issues with the city’s handling of the shelter crisis.

“I don’t feel that recreation centres are permanent solutions,” said Councillor Lucy Troisi, who was appointed in November to represent Ward 28 (Toronto Centre-Rosedale), which includes Regent Park.

“We really need to think about emergency shelters during cold patches where it doesn’t affect other vulnerable populations,” she said.

The 24-hour warming centre at Regent Park Community Centre opened earlier this month, amid criticism that the city wasn’t doing enough to provide shelter from the cold for those in need. It will remain available until further notice, said Patricia Anderson, a spokesperson for the city’s shelter, support and housing administration.

In the meantime, instructional and drop-in programming at the centre has been suspended, said Jane Arbour, a spokesperson for the city’s Parks, Forestry and Recreation department.

On average, the centre runs 20 drop-in programs each day in the gyms, youth space, fitness centre and community rooms, Arbour said. She added that staff estimate they would have had about 6,500 visits by participants, since the programming was suspended.

The suspended instructional programs serve about 590 registered participants each week, she said.

The city has moved after-school recreation care programs to Nelson Mandela Public School and last week opened the fitness centre, older adult lounge and youth space under modified hours.

Next week some drop-in programs will be reinstated as space becomes available, said Arbour.

For the youth, who came to rely on the centre as a space to hang out, exercise, and participate in activities, the loss has been frustrating, said Kenneth Slater, the manager of children and youth programs with Dixon Hall Neighbourhood Services.

“A lot of young people are just feeling like they don’t have much options in terms of engaging in activities,” he said.

Dixon Hall, which helps run a basketball league in the community, is now struggling to find an alternative space to accommodate the league, Slater added.

“That’s really, really frustrating. A lot of kids were excited about the league,” he said.

Ines Garcia, a mother of four who has lived in the neighbourhood for 29 years, said the centre is important for the young people in the community because “it’s keeping them out of trouble.”

“It’s always packed with youth,” she said.

It’s not just the youth missing out; Garcia hasn’t been able to attend her weekly Caribbean dance class.

“It’s hard, but it’s all dancing and it’s wonderful,” she said.

While Garcia said she’s happy to see the city find more space for the homeless, especially with the freezing weather, she wants to see a long term strategy that doesn’t involve displacing youth.

City Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam agrees that’s needed and is calling for 1,000 new shelter beds to be built this year.

“I have a lot of concern about displacing other communities, including communities that are looking for recreational services,” she said.

“I’m hoping that we can have their patience. This is not their fault that they’re losing their recreational program; it is entirely the fault of the city and city council for not being proactive in dealing with this homelessness crisis and the shelter crisis,” she said.

“We needed to do better . . . at the same time, we have no other options.”