Adapted with permission from Friends of Berczy Park

With the concentration of social services in the St. Lawrence neighbourhood both St. James and Berczy parks have long been congregation points for people experiencing homelessness. The possible reasons are many, including escalating opioid addiction, the rising mental health issues in society, shortage of shelter space and low-income housing.

Community reaction to this reality is diverse. Some overlook the issue while others offer spare change to homeless persons or donate to organized shelters. Others simply say they want the homeless removed from the park, citing the eyesore or risk to health and safety created by these individuals, who they may blame for the increased litter or hazardous materials in the park.

Everyone has a right to their own views on this issue. However, we offer the following points for consideration.

There are many types of homeless persons in the park:

  • passive, harmless daytime visitors killing time
  • aggressive panhandlers
  • ‘overnighters’ who sometimes leave behind trash, needles and human waste
  • well-intentioned homeless persons who have spent hours cleaning the park and self-policing the area to create order in their temporary ‘home’.

Clearly, we cannot label or paint all those experiencing homelessness with the same brush.

  • Our philosophy is that the park is a public space, and everyone is welcome, as long as they respect other park users and cause no harm to the park or others. Homeless persons should be as welcome in our parks as any other member of society who respects others and does no harm.
  • St.  James Park and Berczy Park use slightly different approaches to defensive architecture. Berczy chose not to include anti-homeless park features in the park design, such as restrictive armrests on park benches to prevent sleeping, whereas St. James Park did. Some argue that these handles are an accessibility feature. St. James Park did not install anti skate-board bumps whereas Berczy did. Some social justice advocates feel such physical barriers create an exclusionary messages of “You are not welcome in this space”.
  • Both parks were designed with features discouraging illegal activities, such as extensive lighting and open lines of sight from the streets and paths.
  • Both parks work with the City and Parks Department to find solutions to issues that arise, such as lighting or maintenance to discourage illegal or unsafe activities. The City has implemented daily/seasonal park clean-up crews to ensure both parks are in good condition.
  • We encourage you to call 3-11 or the Toronto Police non-emergency line if you see disruptive behavior in the park by any park user. You should call 9-11 if you see actual criminal activity or life-threatening events occurring. See Reporting Incidents for more.
  • Should you encounter homeless persons who appear to be in distress or are behaving in a harmful way, contact the Toronto Park Ambassador Service – to make on-site, outreach visits.
  • Needles should be disposed of in the St James Park bio-hazard disposal bin or brought to local pharmacy counters, who are obliged under license to accept such hazardous waste items.
  • We believe that simply ‘shooing’ homeless persons out of a public space is not a solution to the problem. This is only shifting this societal issue out of sight where it may create worse impacts.

So what can you do?

  • Decide for yourself if you wish to donate to or support homeless persons directly. You may also inform yourself about non-profit agencies or shelters in the areas to both support financially or make referrals to homeless persons in need.
  • Report crimes, dangerous or at-risk behaviour to the authorities, so they can take immediate action AND compile important data on the issue, for future allocation of government resources.
    • Call Toronto Police 51 Division, in these cases:
      • Non-emergency: If you require Police assistance but are not in an emergency situation (e.g. reporting thefts, vandalism, fraud) or for other situations where no person or property is in immediate danger, please call our non-emergency telephone number 416-808-2222.
      • Emergencies or Crimes in progress: 9-11, If you require emergency assistance, or want to report a crime in progress, please call 9-1-1. An emergency is any situation where people or property are at risk (including but not limited to fires, crimes in progress or medical emergencies).
    • Call 311 (or tweet @311toronto) to report unsanitary or generally disturbing conditions in either park such as damage to facilities. This information will be directed to the City Ward 13 Park Supervisor for action or the appropriate City department.
    • To seek homeless outreach with homeless persons who you believe require ‘attention’ (i.e., they are not committing a crime and are not in a risk-to-life situation but may require help or intervention by professionals), you may call 311 and ask that your request by sent to the Parks Dept. Parks Ambassador. 311 can contact the Parks Ambassador team on your behalf.
  • To help keep St James and Berczy Park safe, right now:
    • Help us keep our parks clean, by picking up at least one piece of litter you see. Waste like chicken bones, broken glass or suspicious items pose an immediate risk to two-legged and four-legged visitors, so be a good neighbour and dispose of these items if you see them, before someone is harmed.
    • You can post a message or image on the St. James Park or Berczy Park Facebook pages to alert our group and other community members to the issue quickly.
    • If you see very unclean or unsafe conditions in the Park, call 311 or tweet @311toronto to report the problem.
  • To work for longer-term solutions, call or write your City Councillor (Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam) in Ward 13, Toronto Centre to share your views on the homeless situation. Your input will help them advocate for additional or appropriate City services to address urban issues including homelessness. Read and sign the councillor’s motion to end homelessness.