HAGERSVILLE—Last week, Haldimand Council discussed the displaced residents of Lawson House, a privately-owned apartment facility that evicted all tenants earlier this month to undergo renovations for a future sale, as several remain unhoused around Hagersville.
“I’m just asking how staff are handling the issue of the new encampments and how we are going to address the increased drug addiction that is causing these encampments,” said Mayor Shelley Ann Bentley. “How are we going to protect our children and families that play in these parks from witnessing the behaviours of these individuals, as well as the potential for exposure to a lethal substance?”
Corporate and Social Services GM Megan Jamieson shared, “There is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes. Staff have regular contact with everyone on the By-Name List (BNL), anyone who’s registered without an address in Haldimand and Norfolk County. Not all of these people live in encampments. Some of them live in emergency housing or with friends and family, but we know that some people do choose to live in encampments. Things we hear about that include safety in numbers, sharing resources, and things like that.”
She said staff focus on making sure those unsheltered residents know of the existing supports available to them, including housing options, access to personal needs, and help navigating social service systems to gain assistance for mental health or addiction-based challenges.
“People have the right to independent decision-making, whether or not they accept those services or refuse them. We do recognize that the presence of encampments, especially where there is mental health and addictions issues related to that, comes with an increased potential for criminal activity,” Jamieson continued. “However, there are many legal challenges with removing encampments or dispersing encampments. The HSS focuses on education and harm reduction, not enforcement.”
Jamieson encouraged any who witness illegal activity in the community to contact police immediately.
Community and Development Services GM Mike Evers added, “If there is illicit drug use taking place within our parks, it’s really beyond what we’re able to enforce with municipal bylaws, with respect to what our staff are authorized and also trained to do.”
He noted that bylaw staff would document any illegal activity they witness and contact the OPP, working “alongside them to support them in whatever way they can in addressing the situation.”
Evers also noted the safety risk inherent in dealing with “somebody who may be in a drug-induced situation, rolled into that having a mental health crisis,” iterating the importance of alerting the proper authorities trained to handle such scenarios.
“On the encampment side, this is a big question and a big issue in many municipalities. It’s rare that you can turn on the news any given night and not hear about a major urban centre dealing with an encampment issue,” said Evers.
He said the inherent tension comes from the joint responsibilities of maintaining public parks for all residents, while also being attentive to the needs of unsheltered people, particularly at night.
“As the homelessness crisis is continuing to worsen, we’ve heard and we’ve read quite a bit about municipalities attempting to go down the road of regulating or prohibiting encampments, including actually filing injunctions to enforce eviction orders for the encampments of unsheltered people,” continued Evers, “but again and again and again, the courts in this country … found that encampments cannot be evicted or prohibited through trespassing bylaw, parks bylaw, (or) camp bylaw if there is a lack of recently available and suitable alternative indoor spaces for residents to shelter.”
He laid out a potential plan used by several municipal governments including Kingston, Kitchener, Waterloo, and Hamilton.
“The workaround that some municipalities have done or are considering is to find a single location or park or municipally owned property that is suitable or can be set up for accommodating all those who are unsheltered and need a place to set up an encampment,” said Evers.
County staff have discussed the idea, in the event the issue becomes bigger within the county.
“Outside of that, this is a matter – homelessness and the drug crisis are too often interlinked – that requires all parties to pull together, so HSS, OPP, our enforcement staff to the extent that they can provide supports; working together, sharing information, and supporting those who are going through these crises as well,” he concluded. “We’ll continue to keep information flowing between all the parties in working to come up with the best resolutions that we can.”
Jamieson said that in addition to those discussions, the County has been focused on developing proactive measures to address the crisis through various policies, including the Community Drug and Alcohol strategy and their 10-year Housing and Homelessness Plan.
“It’s important to remember the individuals experiencing homelessness and addiction are not the problem, they’re the end result of a much larger issue. It’s a misunderstood and stigmatized challenge … rooted out of poverty, lack of healthcare supports, the housing crisis, including access to affordable and attainable housing, and the economic increase we’re seeing across all areas of our basic needs,” concluded Jamieson.
County staff are currently working with HSS GM Sarah Page on a presentation that lays out what the issue looks like overall in Haldimand, and some solutions/associated costs that could be utilized to provide further outreach to those who need it.
Stay tuned to The Press for coverage of the presentation when it takes place.
