Encampment residents, advocates call for change as number of tents in front of Regina city hall grows
Nicholas Frew | CBC News | Posted: July 13, 2023 12:00 PM | Last Updated: July 13, 2023
'A lot of us are ... trying to stay clean — and it's hard to stay clean in a toxic environment': camp resident
Advocates and the people at a growing encampment outside Regina's city hall are calling for greater collaboration and supports for people in the city who are experiencing homelessness.
There were 72 tents in the courtyard as of Tuesday as part of the encampment, which was set up more than three weeks ago. On Monday, an estimated 47 people were living in the encampment, the City of Regina said in a statement sent to news media.
"This is not going to go away," said Pam Sanderson, executive director of Carmichael Outreach, an anti-poverty and anti-homelessness organization in Regina.
Work to address the issue is too often done "in silos," she said.
"It's going to get worse if we don't address it quickly — and with all of the right parties at the table."
Sanderson suggested community organizations, the mental health and addictions sector, and various government institutions — including the City of Regina and the provincial Ministry of Social Services — have to collaborate to tackle homelessness.
People living at the camp want a dialogue with Mayor Sandra Masters, said an encampment resident who identified herself as Pynk Mitton.
"She needs to come down from that pretty little office of hers and come and communicate with us, come get to know 'her people,' as she calls us," Mitton said.
Masters has not met with the organizers of the camp, but she has met with some of the outreach workers who attend the site, she told reporters after Wednesday's council meeting.
The city said emergency responders or volunteers on-site have responded to nine overdoses in the camp as of Tuesday. In two of those instances, treatment was refused.
The city is working with provincial government agencies, such as the Ministry of Social Services, and community organizations to help connect people in the encampment with services and supports they need, the city said.
Those living in the encampment, as well as other people experiencing homelessness, need mental health and addictions services, in particular, Mitton said.
"A lot of us, we suffer with mental health," she said. "Addictions, that's a major thing here. But a lot of us are also trying to stay clean — and it's hard to stay clean in a toxic environment."
Mayor Masters noted resources such as mental health and social services are the provincial government's jurisdiction.
Outreach workers have told her it takes about a year to build a relationship with people before they share their story and to build an understanding of their needs, Masters said.
"It's not one-size-fits-all," she said.
"The goal is to help the folks that are there, have their needs met.… It takes a long time to build those relationships."
Some people, however, are afraid to make first contact with support groups or detox services, Mitton said, so it would be helpful if groups could come to them.
Meanwhile, the fire department has cleared the encampment of potential fire hazards and members of the Regina Police Service are checking in with the camp regularly, the city said.
People living in the encampment can access public washrooms in city hall during business hours, and a 24-hour temporary washroom has been placed on the corner of Lorne Street and 12th Avenue, in Victoria Park, the city said.
Coun. wants info about camp dismantling
Ward 6 Coun. Dan LeBlanc tabled a notice of inquiry at the end of Wednesday's city council meeting.
LeBlanc wants a summary of each instance in which the city participated in taking down a temporary shelter since Nov. 10, 2020, the notice says.
He is seeking information about the temporary shelters, including how many there were and their respective sizes, their location and who within the city directed or authorized dismantling them.
In particular, LeBlanc's notice says he wants information about the dismantlement of Camp Hope in Pepsi Park in November 2021, and three separate temporary shelters that were taken down last month.
The notice of inquiry states LeBlanc wants answers to be included in the agenda for the council meeting on Aug. 16.