Our community is coming together to support people living outside, in encampments or in unsafe locations, without access to water, washrooms, or appropriate care during the pandemic and current hot weather. Of course, we have to do better. This is the letter the members of the Unsheltered Campaign have sent to all the councillors in the region. Will you raise your voice so all residents who were negatively impacted by income insecurity, lack of affordable housing, trauma and marginalization, can find a place, with the people they trust, to call home?
Recent actions taken by the Region of Waterloo, City of Kitchener ByLaw Enforcement, Regional Police Services and community partners:
– St John Kitchen encampment currently has access to drinking water, porta-pottie and the eviction date has been extended until August 31 so the encampment residents can be appropriately moved to more suitable locations or housing;
– City of Kitchener and the Region of Waterloo are reviewing the public land inventories as potential locations for supported encampments/settlements
- St Mary’s Catholic Church congregation has invested in creation of eight wooden cabins and they are still seeking land to be placed on;
– House of Hope open for 28 men at Ray of Hope with House of Friendship, to shelter men who were at YMCA location until the end of June;
– Charles Street Terminal has more supply of refillable water bottles and food thanks to the donations from community members;
– City of Kitchener approved zoning bylaw suspension for 12 months for A Better Tent City at Lot42 (35 community members in cabins and tents).
Find out more at the Unsheltered Campaign page: https://civichubwr.org/unsheltered-campaign. Learn more from the webinars, documentaries and material in the series Right to Home available through the Urban Change Institute.
