Residents of the tent encampment in St. John's share their hopes, fears with winter on the horizon

For some of the people sleeping in tents behind the Colonial Building in St. John's, the encampment is an instance of history repeating itself.

Melanie Liebrecht, one of around 20 people living on the grounds near Bannerman Park, says there was a tent city there in the 1800s after the Great Fire.

"They didn't give up hope either," said Liebrecht. "If they can do it, we can be the modern age of them and we can succeed as well."

Though Liebrecht is trying to remain hopeful that those living in today's tent city will find housing before winter, it's hard for her to remain optimistic. 

"This is ridiculous," said Liebrecht. "We've fallen through the cracks and we've gone through enough and been promised enough, and nothing follows through."

Searching for a way out

Liebrecht's husband, Brandon Poulin, shared similar concerns.

"We're survivors," said Poulin. "We've managed to become a bunch of misfits from different places in the world and we've become a family unit.

"We hold Bible study and we eat supper and we take care of each other and we take care of ourselves. And nobody goes without. And if we see that somebody's tent or tarp is falling apart, we all pitch in to help. It's become a community."

As much as they love the people around them and the community they've built, said Poulin, he wishes it were under better circumstances.

"Something needs to change," he said.

"I do want to work. I'm passing out resumés every day, asking what resources are available to me to better my situation for me and my wife daily. We're no further ahead than when we first got here"

"I gotta clean myself with moist wipes, a hobo bath in the public bathroom," said Poulin.  

"I have no problems with Trudeau bringing in people from other countries, war-torn countries, wherever that needs the help.… I'm proud to be a Canadian and and I'm proud to accept that. But at some point you have to say, 'I'm sorry, I have to stop for a while because my own are suffering now, my own are on the streets now.'"

On Saturday, many in the tent city were concerned about the rainy and windy weather in the forecast for Sunday.

"We just talked about how to organize stuff from blowing away cause we don't want it to look too messy here and make it look like we're throwing stuff all over the place," said Gregory, another person who has been living in the tents. He didn't want to share his full name with CBC News. "There's no beer cans and needles. It's pretty self-sufficient."

While some people do drink alcohol and use drugs on the premises, Gregory said, they've been making every effort to keep the space clean and safe. 

"That's the respect," Gregory said. "Everybody respects each other."

Although some arguments have broken out among the people in the tents, said Gregory, staying outdoors is still preferable to the other options they have for shelter. 

"A lot of people don't want to go there because there's people who robbed them or raped them or it's going to be a fight," Gregory said. "That's the main thing here. People are together because they feel safe."

However, not everyone feels safe. 

Panic attacks

Lesley Caines was packing up her tent Saturday with the hopes that the Gathering Place would accept her. 

"Violence is a big concern here," Caines said, as she recounted several recent incidents in which the police had to intervene, including an axe-swinging. On Nov.14, the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary arrested a 24-year-old woman on charges including assault with a weapon and uttering threats. 

"People are arguing all hours of the morning, and my tent was actually broken into," Caines said. "My medication was stolen.

"I'm scared here.… I never had panic attacks before this."

Community activist Mark Wilson has been volunteering his time to help those living in tents. 

"There is a real need for government or the Red Cross to step in," Wilson said. "Volunteers are being relied on for everything here, and it's simply not a good practice.

"Let's be real about this, no one wants to be living in a tent in mid to late November in Newfoundland and Labrador."

An embarrassing lack of response

Wilson said the lack of response from government is especially frustrating due to the number of resources owned by government in the area. 

"There is no bathroom down here," Wilson said. "So why can't the city open the Bannerman Park bathroom?" 

The pool house has showers and could be used as a warming shelter, he said.

"To think that some of this very simple low-hanging fruit can't occur is just embarrassing," Wilson said. "The government has got their head in the sand or they are just unwilling to do anything to support folks that are just barely surviving."

Newfoundland and Labrador knows how to get stuff done "better than most places," said Wilson.

"So why are we not just doing it? We need shelters," he said.

"If this was Muskrat Falls and there were new workers coming in, they'd have those work trailers where people sleep, where they shower.… You just get it done so that things can happen. And that's not happening here."

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