Business owners fear new tent city in downtown core
Neighbours of drop-in centre asking for security and cleanup
Last Friday evening, when Brian Bulger needed to return to his Reid Street insurance business to pick up some paperwork, he arrived to find two people consuming drugs outside his back door.
Just a few days ago, in broad daylight, he saw a woman defecate on the lawn of the former Trinity United Church, just across the street from his business.
And Tuesday night, on his way to a public meeting to discuss community concerns with the Trinity Centre’s drop-in facility operating out of the former church, he observed more illegal drug use inside the centre’s alcove.
“It’s no longer a safe environment around here,” he said, just after the meeting ended.
“I have clients who have expressed to me that they are not comfortable coming to my office because of what they’re seeing,” he said.
The neighbourhood around the Trinity Centre — the dividing line between the downtown core and the historically affluent “Avenues” neighbourhood of central Peterborough — has become a new focal point for concern, first as a hangout for drug users and the homeless, and now, as the weather has improved, it’s seen a few tents springing up on the former church property.
On Tuesday night, One City Peterborough’s executive director Christian Harvey hosted a public meeting for nearby residents and business owners, hoping to address concerns and share information on the organization’s efforts to help with Peterborough’s homelessness situation.
“We’re not planning on leaving, but we do want to be a better neighbour,” Harvey told his audience.
Last fall, the city announced it was offering a total of $2.7 million — $900,000 annually over the next three years — to fund both daytime and overnight drop-in programs for homeless people in the former Trinity United Church.
The programs are run by One City Peterborough, a social agency that helps people find housing. The decommissioned Trinity United Church at 360 Reid St. — now called the Trinity Centre — was purchased in 2022 by the Peterborough Poverty Reduction Network.
In the months since, more and more people have been coming
forward concerned with the actions of a few of those using the Trinity Centre.
At the meeting, people heard stories of needles and human waste discovered daily outside businesses along Reid Street, Rubidge Street, and nearby Charlotte Street. There were stories of intoxicated and “high” strangers found on residential lawns, front porches, and in driveways.
Some business owners shared that they’ve not just lost business, but they’ve lost staff who feared going to and from their workplaces. It’s become the only place to go for individuals who have been banned from the other shelters and interim housing projects in Peterborough, one meeting-goer said.
“This was a good neighbourhood,” Bulger told Harvey.
“It’s not now … what city council and your group has done is change the complexion and the feel of this neighbourhood completely. I’m not happy. I wish you were gone, and I hope you go away.”
Bulger said he does have sympathy and compassion for those who are struggling and need facilities like the Trinity Centre, “but I don’t have any sympathy any more for this, for the people coming here or this operation. I don’t … it’s impacting my life; it’s impacting my income. It definitely has an impact on my property value.”
Harvey said the organization is providing, on average, 160 meals a day, and is offering outreach, programs, some housing, and it would like to do more. He said some steps have been taken to minimize the negative impact on the immediate neighbourhood surrounding the centre, but he acknowledged there have been problems.
“Once we close (for the night), we know there will be a ton of tenting happening,” he said. But when a tent pops up, steps are taken to discourage their users and to eventually remove them.
“We are committed to try and get tents down as soon as they come up … we haven’t mastered it, but we’re going to continue to work on that.”
Harvey said the organization isn’t going to bring in security guards to the site as they could deter those who need services from seeking them there. But they have taken steps to bring in outreach workers to help with the organization.
Just two weeks ago, One City introduced its new Unity Project, made up of a team of three outreach workers who can provide a variety of supports to businesses and individuals in the community on a regular basis.
This includes intervening and de-escalating crisis situations, redirecting individuals to places of support as needed, mediating conversations between business owners and community members, cleaning up needles or drug-use equipment, and providing overdose and naloxone training to businesses.