What Gordon Kaltenhauser sees out of his kitchen window is a gazebo, nestled-in along a creek. It sits on property owned by the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) on Sutherland Avenue and at times is a refuge for the homeless.
“I use the term undesirables that make it a habit of camping there and they leave one heck of a mess,” Kaltenhauser said.
Kaltenhauser’s problems with the gazebo started about three years ago and he has been documenting it ever since — taking photos of what he sees on a regular basis including people defecating.
“They’re peeing and pooping in the creek,” Kaltenhauser said.
The Canadian Mental Health Association claims installing the porta-pote was a pro-active move but Kaltenhauser sees it as a calling card.
“They actually installed that in mid-summer and some of the neighbours thought that was a good idea because at least they’re not going in the creek anymore. I’ve got mixed feelings about it. My feeling is now you’ve given them an open invitation to be here,” Kaltenhauser said.
CHMA admits the gazebo is a focal point for the homeless. It said one of the reasons why it’s so popular is because it’s just outside the downtown red-zone, a perimeter for repeat offenders.
“Everything you need to be close to is around, but you can stay outside of breaking the law by being here,” Keni Milne of CMHA said.
She said it hired a security company last summer to keep the homeless from setting up camp in the gazebo. But said moving the homeless along is not the solution — housing them is.
But Kaltenhauser is running out of patience and options — and selling his house is no longer an option.
“Anybody who ends up coming to look at the property and were to see that — no way. Would you buy it? Probably not. And if you did, it would be at an incredibly reduced price,” he said.
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