Council approves $230,000 funding to address camps
By Lethbridge Herald on July 26, 2022.
Herald photo by Al Beeber
A tent is seen set up in the middle of the Civic Centre field on Tuesday morning. Council on Tuesday afternoon addressed homelessness and homeless encampments in Lethbridge.Al Beeber and Alejandra Pulido-Guzman
Lethbridge Herald
After a lengthy discussion that took about 2.5 hours, city council on Tuesday voted 7-1 to allocate up to $230,000 in one-time funding from corporate budget contingencies to assist in administrative and policing funding shortfalls to expedite the compassionate clean-up at homeless encampments in the city.
Councillor Rajko Dodic was absent from the meeting.
The vote came after council separated into four pieces a motion by mayor Blaine Hyggen that also called on council to approve $470,000 in one-time funding, also from corporate budget contingencies, to move forward with more suitable solutions for the encampment situation. Hyggen’s original motion also called for a task force to be struck to gather key partners for a community view of what the motion calls complex issues.
Another part included a request to have council write a letter to the provinces Seniors and Housing, Community and Social Services department and Mental Health and Addictions requesting the formation of a working group to allow for city and provincial collaboration on medium and long-term housing and homeless solutions “that will ultimately address encampments issues.”
Ultimately council voted to approve the smaller amount to immediately begin the process of addressing the camps.
A referral motion put forward by councillor Jeff Carlson on the $230,000 funding was defeated in a 6-2 vote.
The second through fourth operative clauses of the mayor’s motion were unanimously referred to a special council meeting or SPC meeting.
Deputy mayor Jenn Schmidt-Rempel, who took over as chair from the mayor since his motion was on the table, told council she would support it because entrenched encampments aren’t safe “for any of our residents, those who are living in the encampments and those who are not.
“We need to be creating a safe community for everyone and while we’re not hearing or moving forward on the other three options at this time, we will be looking at those in the next week.
“None of this is ideal, none of this is a great position for us to be in but right now we need to provide a safe place. We need to provide a safe community and I think at least this is a start of doing this,” said the deputy mayor.
Speaking for his motion before the vote on the $230,000, the mayor told council “it’s not easy; it’s a very, very complex issue and I wish we had a magic wand. I wish we had that crystal ball, we don’t,” said the mayor.
He said council doesn’t have the answers ‘but I know doing what we’re doing right now isn’t working so we need to do something.”
He referred to remarks by councillor Ryan Parker that the city has rules and bylaws for city parks “but it’s the resources to get people out there as quickly as we need them to get out there and to work with these encampments and to pull these encampments down.
“It may seem to many we’re not being compassionate” but the mayor said with the increase in tent numbers and a recent shooting, encampment areas aren’t safe for anyone.
“These areas aren’t safe whether you’re homeless or if you have a home or for those visiting our community. It’s just not a safe area,” added the mayor.
“There’s no much more to this very complex issue…we may get to the end of this and have to spend $230,000 and find out that it hasn’t changed as much as we wanted it to change. But if we keep doing what we’re doing, we’re getting the same result that we’ve had which is not working,” added the mayor.
During the question period, councillor Ryan Parker asked Hyggen how the $230,000 would be allocated and what the community could expect in return. Hyggen asked Community Services Mike Fox to answer.
“About $195,000 of that money is for wages alone, so most of the asks today would be to enhance our response and our presence in these encampment areas. That also includes cleaning up areas and one of the recent encampment responses, we cleaned up 5670 kilograms of refuse and also 282 needles,” said fox.
He added that at those encampments they also do daily cleanups, and therefore that amount of money allows them to make sure the safety of the occupants and allows them to watch for criminal activity.
“Part of this is also with LPS and when LPS is with us, they are watching for criminal activity and any aggressive behaviour and they support us in in this,” said Fox.
Counsellor John Middleton-Hope asked Fox for clarification about the establishment of encampments as opposed to removing them.
“My understanding is it would be a controlled encampment site, this would be an area that has similar services to a shelter, so we would have for lack of a better word a bag check or security check, when people enter the area making sure no illegal items are brought in. We would have 24/7 presence of people that would be healthcare workers and people that can do outreach within these areas,” said Fox.
He added that he has never seen one of those sites work, but they have not had full services like is being proposed with the one in question. Fox explained that is the reason for the $395,000 in wages.
Middleton-Hope was confused about the amount, as he thought it was supposed to be $195,000 but Fox explained that amount was for Part One of the motion to deal with the encampment situation at hand.
“The second part is for 470 ($470,000) and 395 ($395,000) of that is for wages in that aspect,” said Fox.
He explained that with a controlled area people cannot be forced to entered, but the idea is to have a place for them to be safe and have access to services.
Counsellor Jeff Carlson asked later into the question period if there was a location in mind to set up the controlled encampment site and what the plan is for it, and Fox offered an answer.
“The current location that we have been just started conversations with the service provider in the building, and the province, and this is over by the current shelter’s site. It backs on to the CP rail, there’s already a fence that goes along the CP rail side. There would need to be a removal of the stairs on the side to bring the gated entrance into it,” said Fox.
He explained that they would not lock anybody in, but there would be controls on the entrance and exit so we can maintain the safety in the actual area.
31-30
i believe d.b has this more correctly than what is and has been happening.
it is further ridiculous that the city remains on the hook – we are a measly 100k pop here, hardly spilling over in the funds that this serious issue requires.
They’re proposing to spend a lot of money, close to $1million if I read the numbers in the article correctly. Current encampments will mostly disappear when winter arrives. Will those monies do anything to alleviate the problem when it returns next spring?
i am not sure what you are seeing in d.b’s entry that is bigoted. i find his suggestions to be practical. i do not wish to support bigotry nor to behave as a bigot; therefore, i would hope you may be able to help me to understand what is bigoted about his entry. i do get where some others consistently come from a darker place in this forum and on this issue.
Sadly, people are dying on the streets because of the bleeding hearts that will not stop enabling those addicted. That is dark! Watching people die needlessly is dark. Allowing it to continue is dark.
Over 7,500 Canadians died from fatal overdoses last year, because we keep on pampering them, enabling them and even encouraging them.
Many are even being used by non-profits to pay their wages, no addicts, no job!
There is so much more going on here that many of you just do not know or refuse to acknowledge and the losers are the homeless and the addicts.
Almost all of the issues, homelessness, crime, violence, propery damage, human trafficking can all be attributed to the addiction or should I say, the ’cause’ of the addiction.
Sad that many just do not get this and many more will die! That is ‘dark’!
It sounds like they intend to crowd all those campers onto the small patch of lawn between Alpha House, the CPR tracks and south-bound Stafford Dr., secure the perimeter and gate the entrance. While that would move the campers closer to services (showers, healthcare, meals, toilets,etc) the perimeter will be very difficult to secure even after removing the green stairway.
The worst aspect of the plan is that the proposed tenting area is too small. Users will be crowded in like sardines, violence will flair, users will move out and camp elsewhere.
Sitting through that Council meeting was painful . . . I am sorry but it almost seemed one of the Councillors was stonewalling.
Clearly Brian Loewen stated when asked by Councillor Parker, that we can move the encampment now, with existing laws.
I support parts of this motion, but look at other centers that have realized the high costs with no positive results. Toronto has a plan to use security to alert a task force in that city if someone is setting up an encampment and act immediately to stop or remove it. They know the longer it is up, the harder it is to remove and have chosen to try to stop them as they are setting up, The security firm would only be reporting it, not engaging them.
I heard a lot of good stuff in that meeting from the City Solicitor and from the Director of Community Services, Mike Fox and some of the costs already sustained.
I am aware of many of the factors in making the decision, but at this point, for this year I believe tough love is the only answer. We can legally move them from any and all encampments, without new laws, so we should do it and send the message we will not allow this in our city!
Respect our laws, our citizens and take the supports we provide that will get you off the streets or face constant evictions. Many are not from our city or even within 100 miles.
Mike Fox, when asked where are these people from said many didn’t seem to know . . . I am sorry, but everyone knows where they are from. It many be a little foggy some of the places they have been, but they know where their family is. I have spent a lot of time talking to these people and if you take the time and listen . . . eventually they will bring up places they are from, for example one was from Calgary and had been banished from his community so couldn’t return. Mike is a busy person and I know if he had more time to talk to them he would have had a better response, but he had a lot of good information to share.
Tough love or millions spent in a year . . . millions from your property taxes paid . . .your choice!
I only saw a few concerned citizens at that meeting . . . once more of their services are reduced and costs increased they will be complaining, but by then we will have larger more expensive encampments.
No idea where my submission went. Someone deleted it , I certainly didn’t!
Under Agenda 21, the United Nations has assigned to me the task of Gatekeeper.
I deleted your comment, Dennis, to protect human rights and uphold general decency in the public realm. Your welcome.