Drug, homeless issues affecting downtown businesses

By Lethbridge Herald on July 14, 2023.

Two individuals are seen behind a business downtown. Businesses say they are getting frustrated with the costs of dealing with the negative behaviours of some of those living on the downtown streets. Herald photo by Al Beeber

Steffanie Costigan – LETHBRIDGE HERALD – Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

John Talerico, a partner in Talerico Financial Group, is one of the many business people in downtown Lethbridge experiencing biohazards and vandalism on a daily basis. 

“This is all at our cost to deal with something that is not our issue. Our parking lot in the back is continually filled with needles. And because it’s a perfect spot for them to linger,” said Talerico. 

Talerico talked about the challenge of not being able to open the business when he met with individuals blocking the entrance and clients unable to enter it. 

Neighbouring business owner Charissa Morgan of Jaded Body Art said she feels this is an issue the city should be handling, and businesses don’t have the resources to overcome this issue.

“I think it’s a City issue, for sure. There’s only so much we can do. We don’t have the resources to really deal with that outside staff,” said Morgan.

Barry Ewing, a downtown resident, said the city has lost control of the downtown core.  

“We have lost control of our streets and downtown. It is a free-for-all because they know they won’t be charged so they do what they want and laugh at us when we try to move them along, knowing police will take hours to respond and they will be long gone,“ said Ewing.

General Manager of Community Social Development for the City of Lethbridge, Andrew Malcolm, in an email said he acknowledges the City may not have a current reimbursement program for businesses experiencing vandalism, but there are many programs to help aid with issues.  

“While the City does not have a specific program to reimburse businesses with damages caused by individuals experiencing homelessness or others, we do have a number of programs in place to try and support businesses in dealing with the negative effects of social disorder in our community.”

The City recommends businesses utilize the Clean Sweep Program, Diversion Outreach Team, Biohazard and Needle Debris Program, Business Improvement Loan, Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), and available grant programs. A local woman experiencing homelessness, who wants to be known only as Sarah, voiced concerns homeless individuals face with spaces being taken from them. 

“Instead of using their time and money to give us a safe space, they spent more time and money in taking away places from us,” said Sarah. 

The City said it continues efforts to support the homeless through the allocation of federal, provincial, and municipal grant dollars alongside programs. 

Morgan said she wished the vandalism did not occur so frequently.

“It’s just unfortunate that things keep happening so often. It’d be nice to be able to figure out a way to not have these things happen as often and frequently.” 

Alberta statistics show in 2021, 95.1 per cent of businesses in Lethbridge were small businesses  – the percentage here increased 0.50 per cent year-over-year and has increased 0.71 per cent in the last five years. 

Talerico said businesses pay taxes and hope for more proactive support from the city with the challenges of vandalism and biohazards. 

“As a taxpaying company, we would like to see a more pro-active way to make sure that businesses aren’t the ones facing the costs because I’m sure we have some clients that are reluctant to come to our doorstep, and when you’re in a people business,you rely on clients coming to your office.”

The City of Lethbridge is focusing its efforts on addressing the gaps in housing by supporting three applications to the Federal Rapid Housing Program with over $3 million conditionally committed from the City’s Affordable and Social Housing Capital Grant. 

Malcolm said the City is recommending businesses use some of the programs and explore others, such as the CPTED.

He recommends that “businesses continue to use the support programs that are in place, explore principles of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) which often presents small improvements to reduce risk of property damage, and become a voice of advocacy for additional housing and support resources and services in our community either individually or through entities.”

Ewing shared his perspective of what he believes is the solution and the resources needed.

“I believe that we need to enforce existing laws on vagrancy, loitering, sleeping on streets, graffiti, littering, public urination/defecation, threats, and open drug use and push the federal government for changes in our judicial and penal systems. LPS must act on these now, and more patrols are required on weekends, especially long weekends and overnight where most of the damage, crimes, and other issues occur. We need more police, bringing up our LPS staffing to normal standards equal to other cities per capita, the national average.” 

Sarah shared the hardship of not being able to have a meal for two days and then eating the food at the soup kitchen and the intestinal challenges, which results in needing a bathroom and being unable to find a willing place to let them relieve themselves as there are times when the shelter is in a changeover.

 She expressed how she wishes there were more places individuals experiencing homelessness could be where they felt accepted.

“We get kicked out of everywhere … I wish there was a place that didn’t force us into the public eye view, where people were accepting. They took away  places that we would be OK to be safe, and I guess, um, they’ve cut down bushes, they’ve cut down cement.”

The City’s number of investments in Provincial Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) grant funding (which just got a 4.5 per cent increase in the Provincial Budget) supports the prevention of homelessness and addiction/mental health. As well as investments of Federal Reaching Home grant dollars to resources that, at their core, focus on better understanding the needs of the population experiencing homelessness and services that aid individuals in connecting through an Integrated Coordinated Access system (ICA). 

Sarah emphasized homeless individuals are not all “junkies” and they deserve empathy not harsh judgments. She voiced if there is more patience and understanding, more lives could be easily saved.

“If you just have a little bit of patience, you know, it would really be extremely rewarding, and you might save that person’s life.”