Edmonton looking into small, sanctioned homeless camps
In an effort to address homelessness in Edmonton, the city is exploring the possibility of sanctioned homeless encampments.
According to the city, there are around 2,800 homeless people in Edmontonand one councillor estimates that around 800 are living in encampments.
“Encampments are really telling us that our current system isn’t meeting everyone’s needs,” said Anne Stevenson, the Ward O-day’min councillor.
“It’s just so heartbreaking to be in a situation where you’re moving people along, they have nowhere to go, and what are we expecting to change if we’re just keeping doing the same things over and over again?”
On Monday, Stevenson asked city staff to make a report on what small scale camps with five to 10 tents could cost and accomplish.
“Crucially, the intent of these smaller scale managed encampments would be to get people ready to move into the permanent supportive housing units that are coming online later this summer,” said Stevenson.
“That’s also intended to really mitigate one of the risks that was highlighted in the previous report around when managed encampments don’t have an exit strategy, particularly with a winter coming up.”
In April, city staff recommended against sanctioning encampments over concerns they could grow out of control and become unsafe for residents of the camps.
“In the weeks since, what I’ve really seen and heard from businesses and residents is our current encampment response, particularly in hot spot areas, is really an endless loop where encampments are removed then put up again in the same area in a few hours,” said Stevenson.
“I don’t think the city would be looking at sanctioned encampments, if the level of need wasn’t so high,” added Louise Traynor, with the Bissell Centre.
The need for homeless services is outpacing resources like staff, time and funding, according to Traynor. When homeless people are continuously moved by city staff, it can also be hard for Bissell Centre staff to reconnect with them.
“A lot of frustration and anxiety expressed to staff here around being moved every day and losing track of important belongings like ID,” said Traynor.
“Then for businesses and surrounding residents, it’s not addressing their needs and concerns as well,” added Stevenson. "We've tried lots of solutions but this is an issue that requires a lot of different approaches."
The report is expected to be presented to council in early July. The number and locations of the camps will be decided if council approves the concept.
With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Jeremy Thompson
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.