Nearly a dozen residents were rushed out of a hotel-turned-shelter in downtown Toronto over the long weekend with little to no notice, according to the Parkdale Encampment Support Network (ESN). 

The Strathcona Hotel, located at 60 York St., was first rented by the City of Toronto back in 2020 to provide shelter for people experiencing homelessness, and served as an alternative to encampments during a time when lockdowns were in full swing. 

According to Parkdale's ESN, several residents were evicted on "less than a day's notice" during the long weekend, and were told to relocate to an emergency shelter at 66 Norfinch Dr. 

One resident that spoke to Parkdale's ESN said they were woken up at 8 a.m. and told that they had to move out that day, despite previously being told that they had until August to vacate the premise. 

Last week, @oliviachow said she's prioritizing meeting with City staff to see what can immediately be done about shelters and housing.

Over the long weekend, City staff and @Dixon_hall were busy evicting residents from the Strathcona shelter hotel on less than a day’s notice. pic.twitter.com/BW5HrSuFzW

— ESN Parkdale (@ESNParkdale) July 4, 2023

Residents were allegedly instructed to choose a roommate (since 66 Norfinch is double occupancy) and that they could bring two bags of belongings. 

"They'd have to either store or trash anything extra that they'd acquired over their years living at the hotel. They weren't told much else," Parkdale's ESN wrote. 

“They knocked on the door at 8 in the morning and told me to get ready to go to [66] Norfinch today,” Strathcona resident Jesse Guzman said on Saturday.

Despite being notified of the hotel's August 15th closure, Jesse saw at least 10 residents being rushed out this past weekend. pic.twitter.com/LmS5mIo3MH

— ESN Parkdale (@ESNParkdale) July 4, 2023

According to the network, some residents have expressed that they'd rather pitch a tent than spend more time being "shuffled around a shelter system" that's failed them for years. 

"As for the deliberate choice to use a civic holiday to displace residents en masse, we can only assume it's so supporters and media wouldn't take notice. And so the model for how the City manages its shelter system becomes clear. It's a shell game," the network wrote. 

In April, @Dixon_hall 's Director of Housing Services, David Reycraft, had assured residents that they wouldn’t be coerced out of the hotel with no notice, as @Homes_First residents had been, earlier that month.

One of many false promises. pic.twitter.com/dVUWBJCJTj

— ESN Parkdale (@ESNParkdale) July 4, 2023

Most of the hotel leases expired at the end of April, and a letter addressed to Dixon Hall staff from March 2023 says that all residents must vacate the premise by the end of August. 

In response to the letter and abrupt evictions, shelter hotel residents delivered a letter to Dixon Hall offices demanding a permanent housing plan after the end of the program. 

A resident obtained a letter intended for @dixon_hall staff dated March 22, announcing the end of the shelter hotel program at the Strathcona in August. Staff have known about the closure for *three weeks*, but DH has still not provided residents with formal written notice pic.twitter.com/bBL6UYNOtK

— ESN Parkdale (@ESNParkdale) April 14, 2023

"An internal letter from Dixon Hall to its staff has been circulating for weeks, stating that shelter hotel operations will terminate at the end of August, and residents will be relocated so that the Strathcona can reopen as a hotel. There are no details on where you plan to relocate us, or the timeline," the letter reads. 

"Residents have to rely on rumours and hearsay in order to start planning ahead, but we have yet to hear anything from Dixon Hall. We will not be kept in the dark. We deserve to know what disruptions you have planned for our lives, livelihoods, homes and communities," the list of demands continues. 

BREAKING: Strathcona shelter hotel residents are delivering a letter to @dixon_hall offices *demanding* a real, permanent housing plan ahead of pending evictionshttps://t.co/WGxgu5NfP7 pic.twitter.com/SNGDUsaC8h

— ESN Parkdale (@ESNParkdale) April 14, 2023

"Shelter hotels offer us privacy, autonomy and security that congregate shelters don't. We have location-specific housing needs involving our work, relationships, social services, and mental and physical healthcare. We agreed to move into the Strathcona because the City promised that it would put us on the path to permanent housing."