Why Jessica Beacham's death is being called 'emblematic of our failures as a city'

Jessica Beacham had recently completed a private drug rehabilitation program and was taking possession of her own apartment this month when she was found dead in the Thames River in London, Ont. in late July.

Advocates who knew her from her days living rough on the streets of London, and thought they had helped her find success in her life, are adamant that her death was preventable. 

In fact, Beacham's death has spurred action among some front-line workers, who have come together under the banner of The Forgotten 519 to demand city officials act immediately to close gaps in the social safety net.

They're organizing a hunger strike set to start Tuesday on the steps of city hall to highlight Beacham's death, and the 33 other vulnerable people they say have died this year. 

"I remember Jess as probably one of the most vivacious, fiery people I had ever met. She didn't cry. She did not sugarcoat things. Even though she had her mental health struggles and struggles to maintain reality, she was very much an advocate for herself," said Carrie Butt, an outreach worker with the Ark Aid Street Mission, and one of the last people to see Beacham alive. 

Beacham's body was pulled from the Thames River near Ivey Park in downtown London on July 20. She was well known in London by those who also live on the streets, but also by outreach workers, police officers and paramedics.

"Every door in London, Ontario, was closed to Jessica Beacham," Butt said. "She wasn't allowed in CitiPlaza. She wasn't invited indoors anywhere. She was turned away from the hospital and she had frostbitten hands because she was denied medical attention many times."

Investing in Jess

Since her mid-20s, Beacham struggled with mental illness, which made it difficult to find housing and services. She used drugs to help cope with untreated symptoms.

But those who knew Beacham call her special — charismatic, kind, and full of life. They believed with the right supports, which they say did not exist in London, she would succeed. 

"We had invested a lot of resources, more than the average, to helping her and following up with her, because there just did not appear to be an appropriate service to meet her needs in our community at all," said Sarah Campbell, Ark Aid Mission's executive director.

Beacham had recently completed a stint in a private rehab centre, paid partly by money from a GoFundMe page set up by the workers at the Ark Aid Mission. 

"She had made huge strides in the last six months of her life, strides that seemed almost impossible at times." 

For the last couple months, Beacham was living with family in Woodstock and workers had found her a place to live on her own, starting Aug. 1. The landlord knew about Beacham's struggles and was willing to work with her. 

"She was in a place of recovery," Campbell said. 

Return to London for police matter

Then in July, Beacham returned to London to deal with a police matter, outreach workers say, though the specifics are not known. What is known is that she was brought to London by police, who were supposed to take her back to Woodstock. But that didn't happen. 

Woodstock police were unavailable to answer questions about the matter. London police could not answer specific questions about Beacham, but said when a person has an outstanding warrant, they return to the jurisdiction where it occurred to have it dealt with.

"In general terms, the issuing agency is responsible to attend the out of town location to pick up and return the arrested party to their jurisdiction.  Where resources do not allow for that, on occasion, the arresting agency may make arrangements with the issuing agency to assist and transport the party to the jurisdiction where the warrant is being held," the London Police Service said in a statement.

She's not the only person that has been neglected and cast aside. She's not the only person that's going to die this summer- Sadie Nicole-Beacham, sister

It is not clear to those who knew Beacham why she did not return to Woodstock with police. Outreach workers said they tried to return her themselves as they watched her spiral back into heavy drug use. She was found in the river a few days later.  

"The recent death of a woman found dead in the Deshkan Ziibiing (the Thames River) is a gut-wrenching public display of the death we see every day," the advocacy group The Forgotten 519 wrote in a statement.

"Her death is emblematic of our failures as a city. Her death did not need to happen. A death like hers should not happen again." 

'Neglected and cast aside'

Spurred by Beacham's death, The Forgotten 519 will begin London's first big public protest on behalf of people living on the street. Made up of health care workers and others who work with that population, they are calling on the city to stop dismantling squats and encampments; to deliver more supports for campers at their campsites; and to open two indoor spaces to provide 24/7 support to people who don't have housing. 

Beacham would have been happy that the hunger strike was taking place, and would have been right there on the steps of city hall, participating in the action, said sister Sadie Nicol-Beacham. 

"I think that Jessica would have been proud. She's not the only person that has been neglected and cast aside. She's not the only person that's going to die this summer, because they are struggling with mental health and they're struggling with addiction and they're living on the streets and don't have access to the care they need," Nicol-Beacham said. 

Beacham's stepsister Kate Fry agreed. 

"Jess would have been there, front and centre, screaming and yelling. She would be all for it because deep down inside, she knew that what she needed was help. There are so many people that need help, but there's only so much of it, and it's not enough," Fry said. 

On July 22, those who knew her held a memorial for her, sharing stories and coming together in their grief. 

"It was so nice to see the community come together for her because in a lot of people's eyes, she was not cared about, but she was. She was so loved. She deserves so much more out of life than what she got," said Fry.

Beacham leaves behind a son, her parents and a number of siblings and step-siblings.