Talks between London, Ont., city officials and groups advocating for Londoners experiencing homelessness will resume Friday morning after discussions went late into Thursday evening.
The first of two scheduled meetings began Thursday afternoon, after an organizing member of #TheForgotten519 group, Dan Oudshoorn, began a hunger strike on the steps of city hall Tuesday.
“For the duration I will only drink water, with electrolyte drops added and contains medication with no nutritional value as prescribed to me by a physician,” Oudshoorn said in a statement on Tuesday. “I will not break my strike until the other organizing committee members of #TheForgotten519 are satisfied that life-saving changes we have demanded have been implemented.”
The group had demanded that the city:
- Halt the removal of encampments, tents, campsites or squats in parks, along the Thames Valley Parkway, and in empty city lots.
- Change the role of the city’s Coordinated Informed Response (CIR) team “from a displacement model, to a team that offers meaningful support … to campers at their campsites.”
- Create two indoor spaces providing round-the-clock, seven-day support to those deprived of housing and shelter or in need of a safe place.
In a Tweet posted Friday morning, #TheForgotten519 said it’s returning to the table with a long day of discussions planned.
Stay tuned for more updates.
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