After being given 48 hours notice and as the 8 a.m. clean up and move out deadline loomed, a handful of residents in an Abbotsford homeless camp decided to pack up and leave — but there are a few individuals that are refusing to leave the area.
Residents of a homeless camp in Abbotsford on Gladys Road were given notice by the city to clean up and move out by 8 a.m. this morning.
The Mayor of Abbotsford Bruce Banman and a few city officials were on the site this morning. The mayor reiterated that the camp was “not a safe environment since it contains sharps, human feces and rotting food,” and added “the residents here realize this needs to be done and that they can move on their own accord.”
There are a few residents that are refusing to leave and even though the city initially threatened removal by 8 a.m., the mayor said they’re not prepared to forcibly remove the remaining residents.
“This is their home,” Mayor Banman says. “We’re going to try to reason with them, with compassion… it’s not healthy to sleep around human feces and rotting food.”
Some critics have said this move to force residents to vacate the area will prompt them to move to another camp.
“That’s possible and probable,” the mayor says. “The city can’t deal with this all by ourselves. We don’t have the resource to deal with this – we need help from our partners. And the real question is how did they end up living here in the first place.”
The city is working with Five and 2 Ministry Service staff, along with Salvation Army staff to assist camp residents to relocate from the site and Fraser Health Services and the Abbotsford Police Department will also help with the relocation and storage of belongings.
About 20 people live on the site, and relocated there after their previous site was covered with chicken manure. A number of Abbotsford officials have been implicated in that incident and the city has since apologised.
City staff say the site clean-up will take place over the next few days and residents will be afforded every opportunity for taking advantage of supportive housing and social assistance services.
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