No homeless in city parks over winter
New city parks protocol implemented in November having an impact: Official
A city official says he’s unaware of anyone living in makeshift campsites in city parks this winter.
Mike Gannon, the city’s acting manager of social services, said a new protocol to move homeless people from “living rough” in city parks was implemented in November.
Staff from the public works and social services departments visit the homeless person, bring them information on services available to them and ask them to move voluntarily.
Only after city staff members have asked the person to leave three times, and 10 days have passed, does the city dismantle the campsite.
But Gannon said he doesn’t know of any homeless people camping in city parks this winter, and he doesn’t expect to see many this summer either.
That’s because the Warming Room is going to be open all year in 2018 for the first time; previously it was a winter-only shelter, meant to take pressure off other shelters in the coldest months.
This year the city will be funding it to operate year-round and the Warming Room is currently looking to hire a couple of new staff members.
The protocol doesn’t apply at all to people living in their cars or trailers in municipal parking lots, Gannon said.
“That would be under parking control, if there were any issues,” he said.
Gannon said that if anyone were found living in a car, city staff would check on them to ensure they were safe and then try to help them find someplace else to live.
At the Brock Street municipal parking lot, a small camping trailer occupying a single parking space - no car attached was spotted this week.
Lynn Todd, the parking operations coordinator for the city, said municipal parking lots aren’t any place to camp or to store a trailer.
“We don’t want anyone to be living there, obviously,” she said. “And they (parking lots) are not storage facilities.”
Dorothy Olver, the homelessness program manager for the city, said that if anyone were found living in a trailer or a car in a city parking lot, outreach workers would go visit.
“We’d say, ‘Is there anything we can do to help or support you?’” she said.
Meanwhile some of the city’s homeless shelters are getting upgrades or new funding soon.
YES Shelter for youth and families next to the Brock Street parking lot - is about to get at least $18,000 in new funding thanks to Trent University students.
Last week students voted 78 per cent in favour of a $3 levy to support the YES Shelter and also Abbott House, a YES-operated transitional home on Water St. where seven previously homeless youth live for a year together before moving to permanent housing.
Also, the ramshackle Brock Mission for men has been torn down on Murray Street and construction on a new facility is expected to begin on the same property this spring.
In the meantime, the shelter is being housed temporarily in St. Paul’s Church up the street.
‘‘ We’d say, ‘Is there anything we can do to help or support you?’” DOROTHY OLIVER CITY HOMELESSNESS PROGRAM MANAGER