Waterloo Region delivered an eviction notice to residents of the homeless encampment that has sprung up at Victoria and Weber streets in Kitchener over the past several months.
The notice says that residents have until June 30 at 9 a.m. to evacuate the site.
There are now at least 50 tents located on the vacant lot which the region owns near 100 Victoria Street in the downtown core.
The region says that there has been an increased number of security incidents with the growth of the encampment and it now poses a threat to those living there and also members of the general public.
“It became clear that we needed to act to ensure the safety of the public and those residing at the site,” a note from a spokesperson read.
“Together with our outreach partners we will continue to support individuals at the site to connect them with the necessary services to ensure they can access supports, including for housing and shelter, and health supports.”
One of those partners, Sanguen Public Health, noted on Twitter that it was not involved in the decision to close the site.
“To be clear, Sanguen was not part of the discussion around this eviction order,” the agency said on Twitter.
“We found out about this notice as the general public did, by reading this sign. We have a meeting with the Region today and hope to gain some clarity then. We will share info as we receive it.”
In April, after the camp was well-established, the region announced that it was funding 24-7 washrooms at the soup kitchen across the for the encampment which at that point had about 30 tents on site.
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