SafeSpace London lays off all staff after running out of funds
Social Sharing
A London organization supporting sex workers, women and the LGBTQ+ community says it urgently need to raise money after the city ended their funding last spring, or else it cannot re-open its doors to the city's most at-risk.
SafeSpace London announced Wednesday it has laid off all of its staff and is returning to a volunteer-led organization. This comes months after it shut the doors at its Old East Village drop-in location in the fall.
The organization said it needs to raise $50,000 by the end of March to stabilize.
"It is a space for sex workers and for trans folk that is essential anyway, but particularly essential in this moment," said SafeSpace board chair Rachel Berdan. "There's certainly some mourning that we're all experiencing and certainly some difficult feelings for us to be navigating."
SafeSpace needs the money to reboot its services, including access to peer support, donations and overnight beds, and to re-open a physical location, Berdan said, along with core operations.
In a May 2024 meeting, city councillors voted against giving SafeSpace $138,000 to keep its location at the corner of Dundas and Lyle streets operational until the end of July.
Ward 4 Coun. Susan Stevenson, who voted against the funding renewal, said the original funding was meant to be a temporary measure for the winter.
"There was never any long-term commitment," said Stevenson. "The location was always problematic. There was already an oversaturation of services in Old East Village."
She said that if the group were to ask for the same funding today, her opinion would not change.
Berdan said that beyond putting SafeSpace's name forward for an expression of interest in London's hubs plan, the organization has not tried to reach out to the city for funding again.
Over the summer, Berdan said SafeSpace dug into its core funding and community donations to stay temporarily operational.
She said many Londoners have been supportive since the organization put out its most recent call for funds this week. As of Wednesday night, the GoFundMe page received more than $3,000 in donations.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
4 hours ago
- CBC
Toronto man had to fight GoFundMe to get paid after organizer gambled away funds for his brother's funeral
Social Sharing In the aftermath of his younger brother's sudden death last year, Allan Oliver says he was surprised when a family friend set up a GoFundMe to help pay for the funeral. "My first thought was like, 'Wow, I can't believe someone would do this for our family,' " Oliver told CBC News. His brother, Aidan, a well-known figure in their community of Shelburne, Ont., was just 23 years old when he died after a medical episode on Oct. 30. Oliver watched as donations from the community poured in — eventually, more than $15,000 was raised. He says his family then planned a larger funeral to make sure everyone could pay their respects. "Through this fundraiser, there were hundreds of people helping us through it," he said. "And that was just really comforting." Those feelings of comfort turned to anxiety in the months that followed, when he encountered repeated challenges trying to obtain the remaining balance of donations from the organizer. On Nov. 11, the day of his brother's funeral, the organizer gave the family $7,000 of the $15,200 raised. But the remaining $8,200 had not been paid to him, and he had an outstanding bill from the funeral home to worry about. "I was giving the organizer the benefit of the doubt," Oliver told CBC News. His feelings of anxiety turned out to be warranted — months later, the organizer admitted to him in a text message that she had withdrawn the remaining money and gambled it way. After public pressure from community members, Oliver says a relative of the organizer returned the funds to him this week — nearly seven months after his brother's funeral. CBC News is not naming the organizer as the funds have since been repaid. Oliver is still pushing for policy changes at GoFundMe, and says the company needs to do more to ensure the intended beneficiaries receive the money that is raised for them. A spokesperson for GoFundMe defended its current policies in a statement, saying misuse of funds is "rare." In the statement, GoFundMe also said it acted quickly to investigate Oliver's case and noted that it does have a Beneficiary Guarantee, which aims to ensure money gets to the intended recipients. Months-long attempt to receive funds In January, Oliver reached out to the organizer via text to ask about the remaining funds so he could pay the rest of the funeral home bill. Texts reviewed by CBC News show the organizer responded and said she had "lots of things going on," but that she'd call him. Oliver says that call never happened, and the organizer didn't respond to multiple messages he sent after that. At the end of February, he asked the organizer if he could take over the GoFundMe account, and she responded that she would reach out to GoFundMe to try to arrange that. WATCH | Toronto man pushes for GoFundMe changes to ensure people get funds: A GoFundMe raised $15K, but grieving brother says getting money was a fight 18 minutes ago Duration 3:17 In March, after receiving no further texts from the organizer, Oliver reached out to the fundraising platform through an online portal. In an emailed response reviewed by CBC News, GoFundMe told him they couldn't share information without permission from the organizer — who was CC'd on the note — and that they couldn't move forward in helping him. Oliver again attempted to contact the organizer via text, but she didn't respond to the e-mail chain from GoFundMe. In May, he says the funeral home told him interest would start accruing on his account at the end of the month if the remaining balance wasn't paid. "It was stressful, it was frustrating," he said. "It's tough to really move on if you have this bill over your head that you have to pay." GoFundMe reaches out Then, on May 30, Oliver received an email from GoFundMe stating that they'd been told his family "may not have received the funds raised." The email encouraged him to submit a claim with GoFundMe, which he did, also submitting proof that he was the intended beneficiary. After that, he says GoFundMe confirmed that the organizer had started withdrawing money from the funds raised on Nov. 6, and by Nov. 13 — just two days after his brother's funeral — the entire balance had been withdrawn. "My heart was in my stomach," said Oliver. "It confirmed everything that I was most fearful of." Oliver confronted the organizer with this information via text. In a subsequent message, she apologized and admitted she had "a very bad gambling problem." She said she wanted to pay him back but could only do so in bi-weekly instalments of $500. In a June 2 email, after Oliver made GoFundMe aware of the organizer's admission, a company representative told him that its policy requires people to first try to remedy the situation directly with the organizer. They told him that in his case, since the organizer had offered to create a payment plan to recover the funds, he should speak with her before the company took any further steps. They also told him that if the organizer didn't comply with the payment plan, he could then file a claim under their Beneficiary Guarantee. Oliver questions why the company would make him responsible for recovering the funds — especially from someone who'd already demonstrated that she wasn't trustworthy. "I just think that's unacceptable because they have all the proof that the organizer has misused the funds," he said. "And the onus shouldn't be on myself to trust the organizer for a payment plan." Liability issues Oliver says his focus now is on the actions taken by the fundraising platform itself. "I think GoFundMe has handled this poorly, to be honest," he said. He wants to know why the company didn't flag an irregularity when he reached out to them in March about dispersing the remainder of the funds, especially if they knew the money had been withdrawn months early. "That should have flagged something within their internal investigation or fraud team to say, 'Hey, this guy is the intended beneficiary and he's saying that he hasn't received the money,' " said Oliver. There have been other high-profile instances of money from GoFundMe campaigns being misused. After the 2018 Humboldt Broncos tragedy, a man was sentenced to jail in part for setting up a GoFundMe for the victims, then depositing the funds into his own bank account and spending the money. The challenge, according to one legal expert, is that it can be difficult to hold companies like GoFundMe liable when donations are misused because it would have to be proven that the company was aware the funds were going to be misappropriated before they were released. "If you knew, or you should have known, that the funds were not being used for the intended purpose, then you would have liability," said Tanya Walker, a Toronto-based lawyer who has handled many fraud cases. To try to prevent misuse of funds, Walker says GoFundMe could consider alternative measures — such as ensuring the funds are deposited directly into the account of the intended beneficiary, or introducing a third-party guarantor in instances where the organizer is raising funds for another person. 'A huge gap' In Oliver's case, a GoFundMe spokesperson told CBC News that the company had "removed the fundraiser, and the organizer's account has been banned from using our platform for any future fundraisers." More broadly, the spokesperson said, "beneficiaries are protected by the GoFundMe Beneficiary Guarantee, which offers protection in the rare case that an Organizer does not deliver funds to the intended recipients of a fundraiser." But Oliver says that's not good enough, and that he doesn't believe he should have been asked to enforce a payment plan before becoming eligible for support from GoFundMe. He says more needs to be done to prevent something like this from happening again. "I think this is a huge gap in their systems and their policies of how to actually ensure money is being sent to the intended recipient," Oliver said.
CBC
a day ago
- CBC
A new harm reduction group is creating a safe space to do drugs in St. John's
In response to an increasing number of overdose deaths in Newfoundland and Labrador, a new group of harm reduction advocates are opening what they say is St. John's first overdose prevention site. Overdose Awareness and Response St. John's (OARS) provides safe use supplies and naloxone, and its founder says both volunteers and nurses trained in overdose intervention are on hand. "Whether that's folks that are street-entrenched or just folks downtown partying, we provide a space where people can do drugs in safety," said Luca Schaefer. Schaefer describes the operation as similar to a supervised consumption site, which are controversial in Canada. The Health Canada website describes such sites as "a safe, clean space for people to bring their own drugs to use, in the presence of trained staff. This prevents accidental overdoses and reduces the spread of infectious diseases, such as HIV." Individuals or organizations who want to open a supervised consumption site can ask the federal government for an exemption from the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, but OARS has not yet made an application. In contrast, overdose prevention sites — which Health Canada also calls urgent public-health needs sites — "are established on a temporary basis to respond to urgent needs in a specific region or community." Ottawa can authorize the provincial health minister to set up one of these sites, but in an emailed statement to CBC News, spokesperson Khadija Rehma said OARS has not yet contacted the Health Department. "We appreciate the valuable work of community organizations and volunteers to ensure safe substance use supports and services," the statement said. Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services spokesperson Mikaela Etchegary said the provincial health authority supports harm reduction efforts, but hasn't established an official partnership with OARS. Rigel Penman, a volunteer with OARS, told CBC News the group hasn't yet applied for legal exemption because it's still in talks with various levels of government. Penman said OARS is trying to set up as "quickly as possible," especially with summer around the corner, and says the group decided not to wait for what could be a lengthy application process. WATCH | Harm reduction advocates create pop-up overdose prevention site in St. John's: Harm reduction advocates create a safe space to use drugs in downtown St. John's 5 hours ago Duration 2:44 The site won't supply or provide substances, Schaefer said. "If using in the space is what they need at the moment, then we're able to provide that support. And if not, they're free to take what they need," she said. For now, the site will be a pop-up tent in downtown St. John's — a setup that's "able to move and be wherever is needed or necessary," said Schaefer. OARS has run the site twice so far, on the evenings of May 23 and May 30. Schaefer says public response has been mixed, with some people approaching to get supplies, and others expressing curiosity or negativity. "This group is addressing and providing support to a marginalized and at-risk population," she said. "We should be looking to our most vulnerable people and asking ourselves what we're able to do to step up." Overdose prevention and supervised consumption sites were a talking point during the latest federal election, with Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre calling them "drug dens" and a "bizarre social experiment" and vowing to restrict them. According to Health Canada, supervised consumption sites operate in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia. The first site opened in Vancouver in 2003, and the model spread throughout the country in the ensuing decades. In 2016, as overdose deaths skyrocketed, several unsanctioned overdose prevention tents sprung up in the city's Downtown Eastside — ground zero for Canada's opioid crisis. Activists at the time told CBC the pop-up sites were an effort to save lives without waiting for sluggish bureaucratic approval. Last year, however, Ontario implemented a new law banning drug consumption sites near schools and child-care centres. That law forced the closure of nine sites in Ontario, despite a court injunction allowing them to remain open while a judge to examines the law's constitutionality. Schaefer says she's ready to respond to concerns from the community. Rising overdose numbers In April, the RCMP warned of rising drug toxicity deaths in the province, and said cocaine is now the leading drug responsible for overdose people died from consuming drugs in Newfoundland and Labrador last year. Last month, police seized a record amount of fentanyl from a St. John's trailer — enough to kill nearly half the province. Schaefer says OARS is responding to those statistics. "There's a lot of reasons why people use drugs," she said. "They shouldn't have to worry about whether or not the drugs that they're gonna take are going to kill them." OARS outreach advocate Loo Vatcher says Newfoundland and Labrador is in desperate need of better overdose prevention. "This world is hard enough for all of us, and whether we like it or not, people are going to use substances," they said. "It's really important that we meet people where they're at." OARS will run a site once a week for now, but Vatcher says its long-term goal is to set up an indoor location to host safe use and harm reduction services. For that to happen, OARS will be fundraising more money, applying for government grants and continuing its advocacy. Vatcher said volunteers want to "put a bit of pressure on the government to do what's right, to help us create the safe space for people who deserve it."
Cision Canada
2 days ago
- Cision Canada
Infosys outlines a bolder ESG Vision 2030; Aspires to become climate positive in 2030, expands global skilling and livelihood commitments
BENGALURU, India, June 4, 2025 /CNW/ -- Infosys (NSE: INFY) (BSE: INFY) (NYSE: INFY), a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting, today announced an update to its Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Vision for 2030. This update is part of Infosys' continuing ESG commitments, first articulated in 2020 and now renewed with bolder aspirations. The ESG Vision 2030's broad areas of focus are climate change, water and waste management, digital skilling and employability, nurturing workplace inclusivity, amplifying communities, employee wellness and workplace experience, along with corporate governance, data privacy and information management. Salil Parekh, Chief Executive Officer, Infosys, said, "At Infosys, our ESG 2030 roadmap isn't just a commitment, it is our blueprint for pioneering responsible business leadership, in a rapidly changing world, through being sustainable, socially responsible, and exemplary in governance. As we've made progress on our ESG aspirations, our vision for the future has grown bolder too. This is reflected in the updates that we have made to the Infosys ESG Vision 2030. What remains unchanged is our continued commitment to be a well-governed organization living its purpose to amplify human potential and create the next opportunity for people, businesses, and communities." Highlights of Infosys' ESG Achievements: Achieved carbon neutrality for the sixth consecutive year in FY25 Increased 4.3 billion liters in water holding capacity through 11 lake rejuvenation projects across India over FY24 and FY25 More than 125 million lives empowered via TechForGood programs in e-governance, healthcare, and education. Reached 13.3 million people through digital skilling initiatives Infosys was recognized among the World's Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere for the fifth consecutive year First India-headquartered company to receive Binding Corporate Rules (BCR) approval from EU data protection authorities Highlights of Updated ESG Goals: Achieve climate positive in 2030, by implementing initiatives across Scope 1, 2 and 3 GHG emissions to reduce our own carbon footprint. Aims to sequester more carbon from the atmosphere, than emissions and move beyond Net Zero. Remain carbon neutral till 2029. Extend digital skills to empower 18 million plus people, including employees, clients' workforce, students, teachers, and communities, and enable employment opportunities for 500,000 plus people. Amplify Communities - Transform and create sustainable communities through Tech for Good initiatives, job creation and CSR efforts, including employee volunteering, healthcare interventions and women's empowerment. Continue to bring interests of all stakeholders to the fore through an empowered, diverse, and inclusive Board. Shape and embrace leading data privacy standards across the various geographies of business operations and be the industry leader in information security practices. To learn more about Infosys' ESG efforts around the world and ESG related aspirations, see the latest Infosys ESG Report 2024-25. About Infosys Infosys is a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting. Over 300,000 of our people work to amplify human potential and create the next opportunity for people, businesses and communities. We enable clients in more than 56 countries to navigate their digital transformation. With over four decades of experience in managing the systems and workings of global enterprises, we expertly steer clients, as they navigate their digital transformation powered by cloud and AI. We enable them with an AI-first core, empower the business with agile digital at scale and drive continuous improvement with always-on learning through the transfer of digital skills, expertise, and ideas from our innovation ecosystem. We are deeply committed to being a well-governed, environmentally sustainable organization where diverse talent thrives in an inclusive workplace. Visit to see how Infosys (NSE, BSE, NYSE: INFY) can help your enterprise navigate your next. Safe Harbor Certain statements in this release concerning our future growth prospects, or our future financial or operating performance, are forward-looking statements intended to qualify for the 'safe harbor' under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding the execution of our business strategy, increased competition for talent, our ability to attract and retain personnel, increase in wages, investments to reskill our employees, our ability to effectively implement a hybrid work model, economic uncertainties and geo-political situations, technological disruptions and innovations such as Generative AI, the complex and evolving regulatory landscape including immigration regulation changes, our ESG vision, our capital allocation policy and expectations concerning our market position, future operations, margins, profitability, liquidity, capital resources, our corporate actions including acquisitions, and cybersecurity matters. Important factors that may cause actual results or outcomes to differ from those implied by the forward-looking statements are discussed in more detail in our US Securities and Exchange Commission filings including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024. These filings are available at Infosys may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the Company unless it is required by law.
