A jury examining the circumstances surrounding the death of Grant Faulkner made sweeping recommendations June 20 that RNAO hopes will lead to better support and housing services for homeless people. The 49-year-old Toronto man died after a makeshift shelter he had fashioned out of plywood caught fire on a bitterly cold January night in 2015 in an industrial part of the city’s  east end.

RNAO was among those to call for a coroner’s inquest, and provided recommendations for the jury to consider. The jury’s final recommendations included:

• increase social assistance provided to individuals so it reflects the real cost of shelter and basic needs
• ensure alcohol treatment and rehabilitation programs are available, and take into account the needs of people who are homeless 
• allow city outreach staff to provide survival equipment and supplies, such as fire retardant blankets, safe heating sources, and sleeping bags
• consider zoning changes that might increase the availability of housing, such as rooming houses, laneway housing, etc.
• continue to participate in the National Home Strategy

RNAO was pleased that the jury also recommended honouring Grant Faulkner’s memory by establishing a permanent memorial in Scarborough. Such a move, the jury argued, was necessary  “…to provide the important ongoing public safety message that the protection of the homeless in Ontario is every citizen’s responsibility.”

See RNAO’s response and link to the full list of recommendations at RNAO.ca/FaulknerInquest