After a visit to the homeless encampment near the landfill, town staff developed a number of recommendations which were brought before council last month.
On April 30, several members of Town staff attended the encampment along with members of Family and Community Support Services, the RCMP, and a health inspector for a site visit. The town’s Interim CAO, Pat Vincent, brought a report to council explaining what they observed and learned, along with a list of recommendations.
There were approximately 25-30 individuals residing in the encampment and all of them have ties locally, said Vincent.
“These are members of our community who have family in the community, have roots in the community, but find themselves in this unfortunate position,” said Vincent. “These are not strangers who have moved here from Edmonton, Rocky Mountain House, Red Deer, or Calgary.”
The report said there are some individuals in the encampment who have substance abuse disorders which are usually related to some kind of trauma. The majority of the residents face mental health challenges.
Vincent said that it was important for the community to hear their stories.
“I heard one horrific story about a woman who’s out there,” said Vincent. “She was an alcoholic at 11 years old, sexually abused as a child, and hasn’t received the support. Those are stories that people need to know. That’s happened in our community and nobody’s been held accountable.”
Vanessa Ericsson-Goertz, the Community Outreach Worker, was hired part-time using a grant from the province to help unsheltered and at-risk community members navigate the resources that are available to them. Vincent said since she was hired a year ago, Ericsson-Goertz has helped five individuals connect with the services they need, which has improved their situation significantly.
Ericsson-Goertz said that two of the individuals are now living with family, two moved to Edmonton where they have access to the specific support they needed, and one relocated to Red Deer and is currently housed and looking for a job.
Vincent said he believes that were Ericsson-Goertz hired for a full-time position, her positive impact could be amplified.
Coun. Rick Evans said mental health and addictions both fall under provincial jurisdiction. He said the current supports that are in place, the shelter pods and Warming Hearts, are both funded by the province.
“I do believe that most of our residents do not support their tax dollars going directly to this problem,” said Evans. “I’m also a firm believer that we need to stay in our own lane. We have our own responsibilities, as does the Province, as does the federal government.”
He said he appreciates the value that Ericsson-Goertz and her work brings to the community, but his concern would be finding the funding for a full-time position at this point.
“I agree with you,” said Vincent. “These responsibilities fall outside of the municipal mandate. These are provincial services that are required.”
Vincent said administration would work within the budget to provide Ericsson-Goertz with a full-time position, and would not request any additional. He said council’s role in the situation would be advocating for help from the province.
Members of a local church have been out on a regular basis bringing items to help with shelter, as well as hot food and company. There has also been a portable toilet donated by a local business with regular septic removal.
The report also states that there have been instances where some individuals have attempted to strike homeless residents with their vehicles. Members of the encampment also said there were community members who have come down to the camp and harassed the residents.
The area does need to be cleaned up, as there is a lot of garbage, making the area unsafe, messy, and unhealthy. Many of the residents also still go through the landfill to find items they need.
Vincent said while there is a big mess that needs to be cleaned up, many of those at the encampment were willing to cooperate on getting the area cleaned up. He said members of the Life Church have agreed to help the encampment residents clean the area up, and suggested the Town put two garbage bins by the camp to give them a place to put the garbage.
Councillor Tom McGee asked if anyone had considered approaching this camp the way the Town had approached it on the Deby Lands behind the Eldorado School. At that point, the Town went in and cleaned up the area and took down a number of trees to give clear sight-lines, which would make it difficult for encampments to be set up without being seen.
Vincent said that option has not been considered and pointed out that in the past the Town had spent a lot of time and funding in clearing up certain spaces only to have another encampment form somewhere else.
Mayor Nancy Dodds said the topic of homelessness has been discussed at the Mid-Sized Town Mayors Caucus and there have been several different approaches to the issue. Some communities are looking at solutions like Drayton Valley, others have just taken a firm stance against it and made it difficult for unsheltered individuals to even sleep on benches in the community.
She said it’s a complex issue and there are no easy solutions. Instead, she believes that early intervention may be the key to mitigating the issue for many unsheltered individuals.
Coun. Colin Clarke suggested they could advocate to have the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, Rick Wilson, visit the area and see what is happening first hand.
Council accepted the report as information and asked administration to come forward with another report in six months.
