City begins ‘compassionate cleanup’ at homeless encampments
By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on July 15, 2022.
Herald photo by Al Beeber
A truck with the Downtown Clean Sweep logo is seen at Civic Centre field Thursday as efforts began to clean up a homeless camp.LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com
The City of Lethbridge on Thursday mounted what mayor Blaine Hyggen called in a press release a “compassionate cleanup” of the tent camps at Civic Centre.
With police watching from the Civic Centre, crews wearing fluorescent vests and two vehicles emblazoned with the logo of the Downtown Clean Sweep were visible at the field where numerous tents have been set up.
The encampments were in various locations around the field and next to the Lethbridge Seniors Centre Organization building.
Some people could be seen walking away from the site heading west.
However, as of Thursday evening a number of tents remained on site.
The mayor addressed the encampment situation in a press release Thursday morning. In that release, Hyggen said he has heard the concerns from residents and is concerned about the people “who have had to resort to living in an encampment and I am concerned about the sites and the risk they pose to the health of our community.”
The mayor said council knows that transitional and supportive housing is the only way to deal with the camp situation so he is bringing forward an official business motion at the July 26 meeting of city council to discuss what the City can do to find a compassionate and constructive way to work through what he called a complex situation.
“The motion will look to act on what we can do as a city council immediately to help stop the encampments from happening and what we can do in the long term to get the housing and resources we need from the provincial government and to not become a tax burden on our residents,” said the mayor in his statement.
“I know many of you are frustrated and I am too. We do not have all of the answers and there is no simple quick fix to this situation. Many cities around the world are struggling with encampments and it’s a long and hard path ahead. I look forward to discussing this issue further with my council colleagues. Be safe and kind to one another,” Hyggen added.
Thursday’s cleanup involved several organizations that were providing assistance and outreach to camp residents.
In his statement, the mayor thanked City staff, the Lethbridge Police Service and community partners for their efforts at the encampments.
“The work being done in helping to navigate some of the situations encountered within the encampment sites is hard and complex and I am grateful to those assisting the vulnerable members of our community,” he said.
Follow @albeebHerald on Twitter
4-3
There is no compassion here. Instead of “cleaning up” the encampments, create proper housing. We have empty buildings with electricity and running water. These punitive actions are not about compassion in the least.