Outreach workers express concern over decision to expand encampment restrictions
On the frontlines of London, Ont.’s homelessness crisis, council’s recent decision to further restrict the places where encampments are permitted is causing concern and confusion.
John and Elyse are outreach workers that offer support and basic needs to Londoners in encampments on behalf of Ark Aid Street Mission.
Two days after council extended the setback distances beyond the recommendations of experts in the Whole of Community Response to Homelessness, the outreach team is still determining the impact on specific encampments they serve.
“It’s even [fewer] places for a community that's already told they don't belong,” Elyse told CTV News. “So they are told to move, move again, move again. That can't create stability.”
John added that the overlapping restrictions make it hard to tell people where to move their tents to avoid violating the new guidelines, “We don't have a definitive answer where to move them, you know what I mean? So all I can tell them is to please come to (Cronyn) Warner. Please come to the Ark.”
On Tuesday, council approved the Community Encampment Response Plan after making several amendments to the location guidelines based on feedback received from homeowners and businesses.
Tents and makeshift shelters are not allowed:
- within 150 metres of an elementary school or daycare (initial recommendation 50 metres)
- within 100 metres of a private residential property with a dwelling (initial recommendation 10 metres)
- within 100 metres of playgrounds, pools, splash pads, sports fields, golf courses (initial recommendation 5 metres to 50 metres)
City staff determined the new restrictions will prohibit encampments on 80 per cent to 85 per cent of parkland in the city.
“Having 15 per cent of our park land available for encampments leaves us with very few options and leaves people unsheltered,” said Sarah Campbell, executive director of Ark Aid Street Mission. “They’ll be out in open spaces and not able to be supported well.”
Some recommended restrictions endorsed by council also include:
- not inside off-leash dog parks
- not in cemeteries
- not in community gardens
- not on sidewalks or paths, in municipal parking lots, or under bridges
- not in doorways and blocking accessibility ramps
- not in other areas posing a safety risk (flooding, slope instability, etc.)
After the council meeting, Mayor Josh Morgan emphasized that the setback distances are guidelines, not firm rules.
If problems do emerge, he said council can consider making changes.
“I think we'll have to wait to see how staff operationalize this to see if there's any significant challenges with implementing that,” Morgan told CTV News after the council meeting.
In addition to the expanded setback distances, there are also 14 parks and public spaces on a no-go list, plus tents are not allowed on sidewalks, pathways, in doorways, or public parking lots.
Encampments violating the no-go zones will risk rapid removal by the city’s Community Informed Response (CIR) Team, outreach workers, by-law enforcement, and police if needed.
John suggests it’s a complex and confusing policy for those experiencing homelessness to navigate.
“They don't have cell phones (and) they don’t have measuring tapes. They're ‘guesstimating’ everything. They're looking at an area and all they can do is guess. There's no definitive answers,” he added.
Elyse said removing an encampment means disrupting a person’s life and survival system, ”We deal with a lot of anger, very, very high emotions because they have nobody. They have lost everything. They can't even find a safe space to sleep.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6941344.1719400735!/httpImage/image.png_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.png)
She's still busy at 105. What secrets and science are behind Canada's 'super agers'?
There is ongoing research to better understand the relationship between social connection and healthy aging, and why the brains of super agers look different compared with their peers.
Several U.S. military bases in Europe on heightened alert amid possible terrorist threat
Several U.S. military bases across Europe were put on a heightened state of alert over the weekend, with the level of force protection raised to its second-highest state amid concerns that a terrorist attack could target U.S. military personnel or facilities, according to two U.S. officials.
Biden allies rally behind him with a public show of support as he spends family time at Camp David
While President Joe Biden was out of sight at Camp David Sunday spending time with family, prominent Democrats rallied with a public show of unwavering support for his campaign following his unsteady debate performance and growing anxiety over whether he should remain in the White House race.
Evacuation orders lifted for some Arizona residents forced from their homes days ago by a wildfire
Evacuation orders in Arizona have been lifted for some residents of northeast Scottsdale, days after they were forced from their homes by a wildfire, authorities said Sunday.
Kin, community demand accountability for fatal N.Y. police shooting of 13-year-old boy
Relatives of a 13-year-old boy who was shot and killed by police in central New York were demanding justice as members of their immigrant community from Myanmar aimed Sunday to press local officials for accountability.
Travellers watch as WestJet cancels flights with no end to mechanics strike in sight
Travellers flying with WestJet continue to watch as the airline cancels more flights due to a sudden strike by its mechanics union.
Some of Canada's wealthiest billionaires, according to Forbes
If you gathered all the wealth that billionaires currently have worldwide, you would have about US$14.2 trillion, according to Forbes Magazine. But what about in Canada alone?
Zelenskyy appeals to West to relax targeting limits for Ukraine as glide bombs hammer front line
Drone footage from Ukraine's military released Sunday has shown what appears to be bodies in a civilian area in the embattled town of Toretsk in the east of the country.
Nude beach etiquette: Lose your clothes, not your manners
Most of us have felt the freedom and delight that comes with stripping down to a swimsuit on a sunny day and wading into a cool sea, the horizon twinkling in the distance.