Residents of an East Richmond neighbourhood are getting increasingly frustrated with a growing tent city in their community.
The homeless camp, which started with two tent but now numbers at least six, has been sitting on city-owned land near Westminster Highway and Boundary Road since October, when the core group of five to six campers were renovicted from a nearby rental home.
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But one resident of the Hamilton neighbourhood, Jen Joyce, said the camp’s proximity to a community centre and daycare has made it a safety concern.
“My car got broken into last year, there’s been a lot of residents reporting crime,” she said. “There’s a lot of drug paraphernalia lying around, as well. I know people who have watched drug deals happen.”
Joyce said the city has responded to several complaints received from the neighbourhood, leading to increased garbage collection and signage. She also understands the campers’ desire for proper housing instead of modular or temporary shelters.
The problem now, she says, is the illegal activity she sees on a daily basis.
One camper Global News talked to said they want to find housing, but are facing an insurmountable occupancy rate.
“We have jobs, we have money, we can pay rent,” the camper said through their tent. “We just want a place to go.”
In a statement, the city said staff, fire officials and police visit the site on a daily basis, and the campers have been cooperative in ensuring safety standards are being met.
The city also said RCMP have not reported an increase in crime in the area.
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“We share the residents’ desire to bring this situation to a satisfactory resolution.”
Richmond-Queensborough MLA Jas Johal met with residents on Saturday to hear their concerns, and says he’s understanding of both sides of the issue.
“There’s compassion in this neighbourhood, and if it’s a housing issue, we need to address that,” Johal said. “But there’s also a drug issue, possibly mental health issues as well, and if that’s the case, we need the city to clamp down on that and make sure it doesn’t grow worse.”
In a Facebook post on Friday, a local resident who started a group called Hamilton Homeless Camps says he has set up a meeting with Mayor Malcolm Brodie for Monday.
Richmond is just the latest city in B.C. to be faced with a homeless camp.
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Maple Ridge is currently embroiled in a battle with the province over how to address housing for the residents of Anita Place, the tent city that was evacuated earlier this year after multiple fires and safety hazards broke out.
And on the island, tent cities in Saanich and Nanaimo have been broken up and their residents forced to find housing elsewhere, so long as it’s off city-owned land.
— With files from Jill Bennett