Women's centre calls for compassion as tension escalates in east London neighbourhood

A London community group supporting sex workers is hoping for more compassion from neighbours in the face of escalating tension around their east London storefront.

SafeSpace London has seen a "huge increase" in needs, along with rising aggression from neighbours expressing frustration with the activity outside their Rectory Street building. The organization is volunteer-run and supports sex workers and women in crisis.

"We have had folks in our neighbourhood take to aggressive and violent acts," said Jenna Rose Sands, director at SafeSpace London, adding the most intense acts happened in recent days.

Sands said neighbours screamed at clients and staff through a megaphone on Monday, yelling "you're trash," "you don't belong here," and "get out of our neighbourhood." Intimidation has also come in the form of violent emails, calls to bylaw officers, yelling from open windows, and disrupting vehicles in the parking lot, she said.

"We're currently seeing a huge increase in folks that are living on the streets, that are sleeping rough, that are struggling," she said.

While the needs have increased, Sands says resources have not. SafeSpace London is funded through grants and community donations and provides harm reduction, first aid, hygiene products, food and peer support to those in need.

"We are all drowning. All the agencies are so packed, and burnout is huge," she said.

"I'm just getting overwhelmed. I'm afraid to come out of my house sometimes," said Bonnie Robinson, whose family has lived on adjoining Stedwell Street for five generations.

She said she'd seen more drug use on the street since SafeSpace moved in. Her fence has been broken multiple times, and she's come outside to find people doing drugs or leaving their garbage on her driveway. "It's just gotten really, really bad, unfortunately," she said.

Things escalated when she went to retrieve her stolen birdhouse from someone's belongings — and was physically pushed, said Robinson, who is almost 70 years old and uses a walker.

"Neighbors are angry," said Claudine Boulert, who has lived on Stedwell Street for three years. "It's coming to the point where people are being more defensive and will confront. Your heart bleeds for the people that are sleeping on the street."

Boulert says she's concerned for her safety as items have been taken from her porch, fires started, and instances of escalating aggression.

John Ritchie runs a fly fishing shop in the same plaza as SafeSpace London and says some of the clients also come in regularly to use his washroom.

"People are hurting right now," he said. "I listen to the government saying they're doing this and that, but I still see all of these people that are suffering."