On a green lot at the end of a parking lot in Charlottetown, Steve Wotton lives in a tent with his dog Nova. The homeless shelter he once stayed at does not allow pets.
"I have been on the streets since two days after him on Christmas, in and out of shelters," he said.
Wotton said the shelter made him uneasy. His dogs are a source of support and strength when he is unwell.
"This is in the realm where I should or should be," he said.
"It sucks. Some parts are fine, but is very rough."
Across Canada, city officials are trying to find ways to address the growing number of homeless camps.
In Vancouver, city officials began removing tents on the city's downtown Eastside earlier this week.
In Halifax, the city recently ordered those living in the park on the west end to leave and said police could be called to clear out those remaining.
Several camps have been cleared in Montreal in recent years, and the city is looking to hire liaison officers to help dismantle other camps that have popped up. A city spokesperson said encampments are not a safe or sustainable solution for the homeless and also pose safety risks.
Short-term and long-term goals
But proponents such as Marie Pia Terrien, president of the Old Brewery Mission Shelter in Montreal, argue that simply closing the camp won't help.
"I agree with the city that campsites are not a long-term solution to the current housing crisis," Terien said. Because moving people in the camps is not a long-term solution either."
As a former UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing, Leilani Farha has studied the issue closely. She said the city government alone cannot solve the problem.
"Unfortunately, campsites are incredibly common across Canada, in both large and small cities, and this has really increased since the pandemic," she said.
"That's because gathering places like shelters were seen as unsafe in the early days of the pandemic. And already people didn't love them. Shelters are violent places. There are facilities.”
More affordable housing should be the ultimate goal, she said, while meanwhile ensuring that people living in camps have access to things like clean water. should be
"While I expect the City and other government orders to enable people to live with as much dignity as possible when living in camps, The ultimate goal should be to come up with a way to get that population to be properly housed," she said.
For example, city councilors in Kitchener, Ontario approved a plan to support theencampment. made a long-term plan. schedule.
"My view is that the people living in the camp are defending and advocating for human rights," Farha said.
"They say, 'Hey, I'm entitled to adequate housing. There's nowhere else for me to find my right to live. So I unfold my sleeping bag.' Or you have no other choice, so put up a tent here.”
More shelters, more housing
Not enough.
According to data released earlier this month an average of 40 people were turned away for lack of beds each night over the past 18 months. .
View | Former UN rapporteur says camps highlight need for affordable housing solutions:
Vancouver tent camps are making headlines, and some say homeless camps signal a need for affordable housing. Solutions across Canada.
Doug Johnson Harlem, a street pastor who works with people experiencing homelessness in the city, said the shortage of shelter space needed to be addressed urgently. However, more housing is the only realistic solution, he said.
"The only way out of this situation is to build good, robust and dignified public housing on a large scale," he said.
Speaking outside a tent in Charlottetown, Wotton said he wasn't sure where he would live when the weather got colder later in the year. he said. "I am still learning as I go."