Homeless advocates say the city of Peterborough is moving people out of a tent encampment on Wolfe Street in what the city calls a coordinated effort to help them find shelter.
On Thursday, city police and social services officers were at the tent camp site across from the emergency overflow shelter. The city says officials over the past two weeks have been talking to people who wanted to offer them help accessing shelter and housing services.
The city said police are encouraging people to go to the overflow shelter to speak with social services. There were about two dozen tents on site Thursday morning.
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As of Thursday, the city said it had nine available shelter beds and 15 temporary alternate accommodations (motel units) that could be used “until a shelter bed becomes available.”
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Brian Cook, a veteran living in the camp, claimed he was informed around 7am that the tents would be “torn down”.
“I spoke to social services and at the end of the day – there’s still no place for these people,” he told Global News Peterborough. “You have buildings and churches and schools…there has to be something we can do. All these condos and apartment buildings going up, some of them have to be used for the homeless. Let them go – or any hotels that are empty.
The City notes that tenting is prohibited on City property (except for the Beavermead Campground) and that bylaw enforcement officers regularly inform tenters about the bylaw and also provide information on how to contact social services.
“Outreach workers were on the scene Thursday to help people reach available shelter beds or temporary housing, based on their individual circumstances,” the city said.
“It’s an ongoing effort to connect people with available services.”
But some advocates say Thursday’s efforts amount to an “eviction” for those living in tents.
Retired priest Father Leo Coughlin, 90, says he has several homeless friends and on Thursday said he was “pissed off” by the city’s latest action — or lack thereof.
2:40 Those experiencing homelessness in Peterborough ‘just trying to survive’
“I’ve never seen as many bulls in the city as I’ve been seeing in Peterborough lately,” he said. “Meetings after meetings and I don’t see a single person settled in.”
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He has criticized the city for years for failing to address its growing homelessness problem and lack of forward-looking planning.
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“Right now the homeless need a place that’s warm and safe, that’s obvious,” he said. “So if it’s so obvious, why don’t we do it? If it was a great mystery of the universe, I can see us standing around and twiddling our thumbs, but when it’s so obvious – people living in a harsh environment – it’s so damn obvious, why don’t we do it?’
“I don’t want them to take anything away – leave it there,” he added. “Act on a New Vision.”
Advocates for the homeless in Peterborough include Dan Hennessy and Father Leo Coughlin. Harrison Perkins/Special to Global News Peterborough
Fellow activist Dan Hennessy says “moving out is not the answer,” estimating that there were about 50 people in the camp.
“That’s all Peterborough does,” he said. “They have nowhere to go – all it does is create stress for people. Shelters may be full, some may not want to go to a shelter, or may be denied access to a shelter. Where do these authorities expect these people to go? They have nowhere to go.”
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Read more: Peterborough Action for Tiny Homes unveils first bedroom huts for the homeless
Hennessey also advocated for the use of tiny homes, which he says some landowners have offered properties to install and host. However, the city has not approved the proposal.
“It could be a lifesaver for some,” he said.
He says a key part is asking those experiencing homelessness what they need to get housed or stay housed.
“For too long the marginalized community has been ignored. They were not asked for advice.
“They’re told ‘this is what you need.’ Not everyone believes this. There needs to be more engagement with this demographic.”
Also on stage Thursday were new town councilors Joy Lachica and Alex Birk, who represent the Town Ward.
Lachica called it an “extremely difficult” morning for those affected and urged the city to take action.
“There is nothing more important than making sure we have a winter strategy,” Lachica said. “We are lucky to have a reprieve from the bad winter weather. So now is the time to talk together and collaborate on the winter strategy.”
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Birk echoed the sentiment, adding that dispersing the camp was not a solution as the people “have nowhere to go”.
“There’s a real sense of community here — people look out for each other,” Birk said. “Breaking that down, people will go to the fringes. Then we see things like people freezing to death, overdoses. It is important that this camp continues.”
The city says it has 106 shelter beds and the city administers about 2,000 social housing units, which are owned and operated by non-profit organizations and the Peterborough Housing Corporation.
According to the city, in 2021, an average of 266 people were homeless each month.
“There were 251 transitions from homelessness to housing, with 35 percent of those transitions being from people who experienced chronic homelessness,” the city said.
In one of her last official acts as mayor, Diane Therrien had the city declare a state of emergency because of the worsening housing and homelessness crisis.
Peterborough Action for Tiny Homes (PATH) is organizing a “Justice for the Homeless” rally on Saturday, November 26, starting at 1pm in Confederation Park. Coughlin says he will be the first speaker at the event.
— with files from Tricia Mason/Global News Peterborough
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