A notice has been issued to expel people living in a camp in downtown Kitchener, but the question now is where will they go?
The Waterloo region said everyone should be removed from the Victoria and Weber Street website by June 30.
The region posted ads at the camp on Monday, June 5th.
The region said the camp has grown rapidly over the past few weeks and now has more than 50 tents.
“This site in particular has become dangerous in recent times,” regional adviser Mike Harris said Monday. “He was at high risk for the safety of the people in the camp and for the neighbors and businesses in the area, the region has taken action to notify.”
THE STORY OF MARK ASHLEY
Mark Ashley remained at the camp on Victoria Street but left two weeks ago, partly out of concern for his dog’s health.
“It’s sad to think how dangerous it is to live at this crossroads because of the lack of shade in the heat,” Ashley said. “My dog would not survive.”
Ashley moved to Civic Park, near Kitchener’s Public Library. But on Friday, Kitchener told him he had to leave by Tuesday, June 7.
“He was a very nice man, very well spoken,” Ashley said. He said, “Mark, we’ve had a lot of complaints that you’re here. We have to ask you to leave. “
Now Ashley needs to figure out where to move next.
“I asked him, ‘Where would you go in my place?’ Who are these people who are complaining and where would they live for me?
This will be the second time he has had to move in the last month
“THIS IS THE BEST PLACE”
Ashley said she likes her current location, near Kitchener’s Public Library, because it’s safer and closer to community support.
“I feel much more confident knowing that there is a building here,” he said. “So does Nicole, who lives next door and works for 519, and they’ve been a big help.”
Nicole Jansen works for 519 Community Collective, a network to support ordinary people.
“Mark has been moved more than 35 times,” she said. “It’s the best place he had in those days and he has a sense of security, a sense of community.”
When people are evicted from a public place, such as a camp, they are usually offered a place in an emergency shelter or motel.
“This is becoming very challenging for a variety of reasons and is often rejected due to mental and physical safety issues,” said Leslie Compton, an advocate for housing at The Unsheltered Campaign.
This is a normal cycle for people who are not accommodated. They feel that the emergency shelter system is not working for them and they are left to look for a place to pitch a tent.
Compton helps people like Ashley move into a home.
Stopping measures, such as emergency shelters, she said, are often worse than street life.
“You have to give up your pets, your belongings, your exposure to drugs and alcohol,” [and] this is especially detrimental to people who are recovering successfully. “
“WILL THIS EVER CHANGE?”
Ashley hopes to find a permanent place to live and get her life back on track.
“It could be an apartment, like a building here, that’s convenient for me,” he said. “Elevator for my dog, air conditioning. I’d like to go back to work if I could as a bricklayer. I can get off the ODSP.”
But until he finds some stability, Ashley has very few options.
“I would never want anyone to live that way,” he said. “I do not live. Wake me up at three in the morning to rain and everything gets wet. My dog is lying on the floor.
Ashley also wants to see her family.
“I just want my life back,” he said. “I want to see my mother.”
Kitchener’s city told CTV News that a contact group is close to providing temporary housing for Ashley and it should be available next week. In the meantime, he can continue to stay at Civic Park.
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