Building ‘A Better Tent City’
A promising experiment offers hope for solving the encampment problem
A fire at a homeless encampment. An overdose victim is found dead in his tent. A protester in a wheelchair is arrested. Another protester seen with a police officer’s knee on their back in a Spectator photo. People begging at many street corners all over the city.
You don’t have to look too hard to know we, like most communities, have a serious problem with homelessness. How do we respond?
Our city council’s best idea is to evacuate homeless encampments and disperse people across the city. What’s needed is some forward thinking.
That kind of thinking is on full display in Kitchener, on the site of A Better Tent City. It’s a community of 51 people living in 40 tiny houses on a piece of property owned by the city and the Waterloo District School Board.
It’s the brainchild of Ron Doyle, a wealthy industrialist, and Jeff Wilmer, the former chief administrative officer for Kitchener. These houses have heat, electricity and doors that lock. Meals are provided to the community members. A shower facility is in the process of being built.
What it amounts to is a community of people, many who struggle with drug addiction and mental-health issues, living in a space of their own, off the streets.
The sense of community was obvious to me as soon as I got there. I could see people coming and going, stopping to greet each other. I met Nadine Green, site supervisor, and chatted with her in her tiny home. As I was there, several residents knocked on the door to check in with her and to say hello. Green told me “this project has given people a sense of dignity and community.”
Green was recruited by Doyle, who was aware of her activism for the homeless community. He wanted her to supervise the project, but said she had to live on site. She agreed. Green said “he really did his research. He recruited all the right people. People like Laura Hamilton, from Food Not Bombs, who co-ordinates the meal program.” She said it’s crucial to have the right people, who are relaxed, open-minded and committed.
Everyone I met there was so clearly a part of the community. Tony D’Amato- Stortz, outreach co-ordinator, was shovelling trenches that were being dug to allow for power and water lines. Father Toby Collins of St. Mary’s Parish said residents looked out for each other, a kind of “neighbourhood watch.”
Green said “we don’t put rules on people here. People are living in their own house. You live your life.”
Green introduced me to several residents, and some invited me into their homes.
Dragon told me “he has peace of mind here. It’s a small community, everyone helping each other.”
Mari echoed a thought I heard from several residents. “It’s a relief not to worry about hiding from bylaw and losing your tent.”
And Rob said, “I cried after I moved in and closed my door. I had my own space.”
Of course it’s not perfect, and sometimes there are fights. But Green said “people will listen to me. A fight happens, then people get over it and move on.”
A Better Tent City is not a solution for homelessness. But it is an important step. It offers people dignity, privacy, security and community. Green agreed that until a person has a secure place to live, they cannot effectively work on mental health or addiction issues. ABTC is an affordable, manageable option.
Green told me they have been visited by representatives from several communities, including Kingston, Guelph and Woodstock. They are planning some type of similar situation. It’s time some representatives from Hamilton investigate.
We need to do better.
Last year we spent $800,000 on police horses. That money would easily be enough to set up a community like this. It would be a far better use of that money. As Green said, “We are family. People are secure. They are home.”