Urgent calls for change grow after another death on London, Ont., streets

The city's homelessness crisis arrived on the doorsteps of a legal clinic in east London, Ont., last Tuesday, renewing calls for action to the incoming council.

A woman's body was found by tenants behind the Hamilton Road Legal Centre near Hamilton Road and Rectory Street early morning on Oct. 18 — an unsettling reminder of the desperate need for change in the crises of homelessness and addiction. 

The death is the latest in an alarming trend for people experiencing homelessness — bringing an estimated count to 19 since Forgotten519, a coalition of front-line workers, launched a hunger strike to bring awareness to the issue in August.  

The death was shocking for Katie Dean, a longtime resident of London who co-owns the legal centre with her husband, lawyer Jim Dean. 

"It really hit home for me," she said. "There's an addiction crisis in the city and people are dying. But when you really see it right in front of you, it really affects you in a way I can't describe. It makes me want to help even more."

There's an addiction crisis in the city and you know people are dying. But when you really see it right in front of you, it really affects you in a way I can't describe.- Katie Dean, Hamilton Road Legal Centre

Dean said the centre's security cameras show the woman was hanging out behind the building overnight, which is a common gathering place in the neighbourhood for people experiencing homelessness. The woman's friends told Dean the woman died from an overdose. 

'There needs to be a change'

The recent death surfaces feelings of sadness and disappointment for Dean, who wants to see more change on a municipal level. 

"I'm very disappointed with the way things are going in the city. There needs to be a huge overhaul as far as this homelessness and drug addiction problem is concerned. We can't keep ignoring it." 

While she recognizes there are some city plans in the works, she hopes Monday's municipal election is a turning point for change. She wants to see a Ward 1 city councillor who's passionate about the issues in the neighbourhood — and filled with care and follow-through. 

"We need to have compassion," she said. "My message is just: make this a priority."

'It pushes you to the brink of despair'

The August hunger strike forced city officials to commit to take action, but since its end, it seems "there hasn't been any particular impetus to get something done rapidly," said Dan Oudshoorn, the Forgotten 519 outreach worker who didn't eat until city officials vowed to make specific changes to how it treats those living rough.

Oudshoorn personally knows of 18 confirmed deaths since their hunger strike in August, in addition to the woman on Tuesday. The actual number is significantly higher, he said. 

"If we continue at the rate we're going, we will have the most deaths we've seen in any year that we've recorded," he said on CBC's London Morning. In total, the group has counted 185 deaths since 2020. 

CBC News reached out to the London Homeless Coalition to verify the count, but did not get a response. 

"To see the death rate roll on and continue to increase, it's devastating. It's heartbreaking. It pushes you to the brink of despair. You just have to find reasons to continue to fight and and hope that perhaps at least a few of these preventable deaths can be stopped," Oudshoorn said. 

Oudshoorn said he feels a responsibility to share how "marvellous" each of these people are. "What a wonderful gift it is to share in life with them, and what a loss it is to all of us as a community when folks die." 

'Everybody has a story' 

Along Hamilton Road, Dean said she's seen homelessness, addiction and crime increase in the neighbourhood through the pandemic — from people using drugs, defecating and having sex on their property to stealing brooms and garbage cans. What she really wants is for people to get the support they need, Dean said.

"Everybody has a story. We don't all get everything we need in life. People have suffered through traumas that we have no idea what each person's story is and how they got to where they're at now. 

"We still love this area," she said. She and her husband purchased the building in 2018 to launch the "one-stop shop" community legal hub, with a paralegal and family lawyer also operating out of the building. 

The London police confirmed they assisted paramedic services at a medical emergency in the 300 block of Hamilton Road that day. 

The legal centre is collecting blankets, winter hats, mitts, socks and scarves at their 399 Hamilton Rd. location for people experiencing homelessness in their neighbourhood. The winter drive runs until Nov. 10. 

"We try our best to help people in the neighborhood. We try to give back to the community. We do try to help in the small ways we can," Dean said.