Toronto's homeless population has seen a surge in COVID-19 cases.
There are at least 135 cases -- most of which come from a single shelter that houses refugees.
Just over ten days ago there were 30 cases of COVID-19 in the city's shelter system.
Toronto Public Health says there are 88 residents at the Willowdale Welcome Centre who have tested positive for the disease and the majority of cases at the shelter are mild or asymptomatic.
The city has opened 11 new facilities and secured more than 12-hundred hotel rooms to house people who would normally use the city's shelter system, but critics say that's too little, too late.
That's why homeless advocates say they're suing the City of Toronto for what they are calling an inadequate response to the crisis, adding that the failure to keep some beds in shelters at least two metres apart constitutes a violation of residents' charter rights.
CTV News Toronto is reporting that lawyers from the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario, the Black Legal Action Centre, the HIV & AIDS Legal Clinic Ontario, The Canadian Civil Liberties Association and Aboriginal Legal Services say the close quarters in some Toronto shelters and respite sites violate sections of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, as well as the Ontario Human Rights Code.
The City of Toronto responded to the claims Saturday telling our sister station CP24 it has completed “unprecedented, determined and expedited” actions to protect shelter residents from COVID-19.
In a statement, the city noted that it has increased space between beds “where possible.”
“A critical component of prevention work has been working closely with service providers to take steps to increase physical distancing measures on site, where possible, including reducing or eliminating the use of bunk beds. Shelters continue to meet the increased physical distancing guidelines of two metres.”
Greg Cook, an outreach worker with Sanctuary Ministries of Toronto spoke with our media partner CTV News Toronto.
"Way too little, way too late. The city has said they've been planning for the pandemic since January and to date, they've only acquired 1,020 hotel rooms as a preventative measure and so you still have thousands of people in shelters, only a foot or two away from other cots or other beds - people sleeping in bunk beds - and with outbreaks in multiple shelters."
Cook goes on to say that the situation is really dire, "People's health and life is frankly at risk and the city has been really too slow."
Meantime, speaking to CP24 earler today, city councillor Joe Cressy announced a new municipal initiative to help homeless people sickened by the virus.
The city has established what's been dubbed Canada's first "COVID-positive recovery site" - a 200-bed facility to help homeless people who've contracted the virus.
"This is for people, who are homeless, who test positive for COVID. If you need to go to a hospital, like anybody else, for care, you go to a hospital, but for most people - you test positive for COVID - you're told to isolate at home, but what if you don't have a home?"
The city has partnered with the hospital sector, with community partners and a group called the "Inner City Health Associates" to operate this private (200-bed) hotel, with full supports for homeless people, who test positive for the virus.
With files from CP24, CTV News Toronto and The Canadian Press