Guelph seeking donation of land for potential temporary encampment site

The City of Guelph is looking for a site to put up a proposed temporary structured encampment.

The city announced on Wednesday that it is putting out a call to property owners who are willing to donate land to help the city in its quest to address homelessness.

This is in response to the direction given by Mayor Cam Guthrie to have staff bring back a report on the logistics, costs and processes for a temporary encampment site. They include potential locations, both municipally-owned or privately-owned.

“This is the call where we are looking at city-owned properties and this is following up on the private sector piece,” said James Goodram, manager of Economic Development and Tourism.

Part of the criteria is that the property owner must be willing to donate the land for a minimum of three years. The city is looking for a spot close to downtown but are willing to consider other sites.

“Obviously, we need to review those sites first,” Goodram said. “We don’t have a magic number right now in terms of size (of the land).”

The idea of a temporary structured encampment was first brought up at a city council meeting last October. These encampments would not have tents but proper, secured tiny structures with amenities like bathrooms and kitchens.

Those who are interested in donating land are asked to email the city at purchasing@guelph.ca by April 26.

“Let us know if you’re interested, then we’ll get into the details at a later date,” said Goodram.