Faith Connection rallies around homeless initiative Carpenter Khaleel Seivwright is constructing tiny shelters for Toronto’s homeless. Photo courtesy Khaleel Seivwright Faith Connection rallies around homeless initiative By Jacob Stocking, Youth Speak News May 12, 2021
While most Torontonians are following public health orders to stay home, many of the city’s homeless are still trying to find one.
Toronto Tiny Shelters, an organization fronted by Khaleel Seivwright, a carpenter from Scarborough, Ont., has been constructing shelters since last September to help those without a place to go. But the project has run into opposition from the City of Toronto, which has applied for an injunction with the Ontario Superior Court to forbid placing such structures on city property. It has cited “serious safety concerns,” including fires and lack of access to water and sanitation, as well as bylaws that prohibit camping on city property
When some people without housing opted to sleep outside in tents rather than accept the heightened risk at the shelters, 28-year-old carpenter Khaleel Seivwright came up with a creative solution to help them.
TORONTO People staying in small wooden shelters built by a carpenter who was served with a court order to stop placing and relocating the structures on city-owned property are voicing support for the project. Before moving into a hotel room run by the city, Jennifer Jewell, 50, lived in one of the ‘Toronto Tiny Shelters’ for a month in the fall. “It was amazing, I spent three months living in a tent,” said Jewell who lives with chronic pain. “People are outside and I think it’s one of the safer options and I think the city should work with him.”