Homeless people in Charlottetown back to tents after emergency shelter closes

The emergency overnight shelter in Charlottetown was established to serve those displaced from their homes or dealing with power outages due to post-tropical storm Fiona, but it was also serving another need.

Many within Charlottetown's homeless population were also using the shelter so that they didn't have to sleep outside in a tent.

The Canadian Red Cross shut down the emergency shelter at the Murchison Centre at 10 p.m. on Tuesday.

"From 10 p.m. onwards, the Province operated the site to support those in need of shelter, not displaced from Fiona," said provincial officials in an email. "The Shelter Support Line continues to support people experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity and in need of temporary emergency shelter."

Anyone in need of temporary shelter due to damage to their home or rental from Fiona can contact the Red Cross directly, the email read.

Meanwhile the encampment at the Charlottetown Event Grounds continues to grow.

People at the encampment told CBC News that about 10 more people are sleeping outside in tents there since the emergency overnight shelter closed.

They said the shelter offered a warm space to sleep, get a meal and the rules around actively using drugs were less strict than they are at some shelters in the city.

"There are continuous ongoing conversations about how to best support homeless and housing insecure individuals in P.E.I.," said officials in another email from the province. 

"Deacon House, Bedford MacDonald House and Blooming House are all low-barrier shelters where individuals are not required to be sober to access. However, individuals are not able to actively use substances at these locations."

Not being able to use substances at some of these locations is the problem for some living at the encampment. Two people said they have frostbite scars on their hands from opting to sleep outside during the winter last year. Two other men said they stayed outside as Fiona hit until the wind brought their tents down.

Others at the encampment said some are having trouble accessing clean needles and that a safe consumption site is badly needed.

"There is a needle exchange program offered through Health PEI at all Public Health Nursing Locations," an email from the province said.

PEERS Alliance also offers drug testing kits for free to make sure fentanyl isn't present in a substance.

Conditions at the encampment

Some people have stopped by the encampment with food and tents, and one woman even offered a hotel room for the night, said people at the encampment.

Garbage is piling up though.

One person experiencing homelessness said they weren't willing to throw it in any nearby dumpsters because of possible fines, adding there should be garbage pickup at the encampment.

There are two porta-potties near a maintenance building at the events grounds, but people at the encampment said they want them maintained and moved closer.

The big worry for people at the encampment is the coming winter.

Some said they are looking forward to mobile units which are supposed to arrive in the province in November, but they worry if they will only be accessible during certain hours like other services.

Some people at the encampment go to the Charlottetown Outreach Centre but when it closes at 8 p.m. they have to fend for themselves overnight.