Council tasks administration to look at homeless camps

By Lethbridge Herald on July 6, 2022.

Herald photo by Al Beeber A homeless encampment is visible at the Civic Centre field directly across from the downtown public library. City Council has tasked administration with looking into the camps for possible solutions.

Al Beeber – Lethbridge Herald

Lethbridge city council is tasking administration to address the complex issue of homeless camps in the community.

Councillor John Middleton-Hope on Tuesday presented a motion calling on City administration to develop a  strategy on homeless encampments in the city.

The motion was passed unanimously after a lengthy discussion about the issue including the legality of closing camps.

The motion specifically calls for administration to report through the Community Safety Standing Policy Committee on the state of notice, process timelines and roles and responsibility to dismantle and clean up the encampment including the City, Diversion Outreach Team, Lethbridge Police service and others.

 It also calls on administration to address problems, gaps and risks and options including possible bylaw amendments, taking into account the size of encampments, locations, materials present at them, fires and other  matters.

In his motion, Middleton-Hope said there were 135 encampments in Lethbridge in 2021, an increase of more than 50 per cent since 2020. The motion adds that encampments in the Civic Field have stayed in place for as long as 12 days before being removed and that camps in one place for a longer period are more likely to become high-risk with people being involved in such things as trespassing and calls for assistance by first responders, health care professionals and mental health care works.

In his motion, the councillor says citizens have complained about noise in evenings as well as thefts, assaults and harassment by encampment residents and don’t feel safe using city parks, choosing to avoiding them because of increasingly aggressive behaviour.

The present camp removal process leads to a cycle of them being repeatedly established and removed which doesn’t well serve their residents or the community said motion, adding that transitional housing and permanent social housing have been identified as a gap.

Addressing his motion to council, Middleton-Hope said “encampments are quickly becoming a symbol of a broken system of affordable housing. They are primarily the temporary abodes of the homeless, are garbage strewn, bio-hazardous and often unsafe environments for residents and surrounding neighbourhoods.

“The response to these encampments has thus far been reactive and the time it takes to remove these camps is getting longer and the process to de-camp residents much complex. We receive complaints daily regarding the latest shantytown pop-up” and although the City make efforts to stay on top of the encampments, there currently are few alternatives,” the councillor said.

“Options, regulations and resources are needed to effectively remove these environments and a relocation strategy must be developed that will accommodate temporary housing on city-owned land where these encampments may be better managed,” said Middleton-Hope.

“If we as a city permit encampments throughout the city, they become the norm. We need a strategy, we need a location and advocacy to develop sustainable options that impact the problems of encampments and homelessness,” he added.

Council members heard the encampments present a complex issue involving human rights. While a city bylaw – which hasn’t been challenged in court – does deny people the right to set up tents on sidewalks, streets and elsewhere, council was told there is a difference between a person with an address setting up a tent and a person who needs shelter setting up one.

Council members expressed their sympathy and concern for the homeless population but also acknowledged the concerns of residents about their safety where camps are set up.

Acting mayor Belinda Crowson said “ I know this is a concern of many people in the public and there isn’t an easy an answer…if there was housing for the homeless people, we wouldn’t be seeing this.”

Mayor Blaine Hyggen said the encampments  has been one of biggest issues the public has addressed lately.

He said he and Middleton-Hope walked through an encampment last week and they saw what was going on “and it’s very sad. It does pull on the heart strings, it’s something that is I couldn’t imagine being in that situation but any of us could end up that way.”

The mayor says when questions come in, it’s important to address them with administration and ask for possible solutions. He said business owners need to feel the support of the community and that something needs to be done to help them.

Councillor Ryan Parker said the questions council has asked about the camps are ones the public are asking them.

“We’re not the only city facing this right now but if we don’t get on top of this quickly, it’s going to grow and grow and grow,” adding it’s not just as easy as removing the tents.

“It’s not the correct thing to do in regards to being humans. But also legally we can’t do it from it sounds like so there’s a lot of gaps here in regards in what we can do. It’s important the community sees that we are asking these questions and we’re just as concerned and at times confused.”

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