The week began with an unexpected move for a group of unhoused Kingstonians who were camping behind the old Beer Store by Bagot and Cataraqui streets.
“We’re just going to have to find somewhere else to go and hopefully to not have the same occurrence,” says James Shelley.
He and the others within his encampment community have been staying at the location for about a week, after they were told to leave a series of other parks and camps.
“We’re getting evicted today because, apparently, the owners of the building and neighbours wanted us to vacate,” Shelley continues. “Police showed up and they pretty well said to us that if we don’t vacate in an hour that they’re going to come and muscle us out. And slap us with a bunch of charges if we do not leave.”
Kingston police say officers responded to a complaint of a small encampment just after 10 a.m. Monday morning and that, “Upon arrival, police politely spoke with several individuals in attendance and provided a reasonable period of time in which to vacate this private property.”
Shelley recalls the encounter differently, claiming that officers were not sympathetic to their situation.
“We asked them where to go and they said they do not know,” he says. “And we approached him and said to him, I said, ‘Well, we have nowhere to go.’ And he says, ‘Well, that’s not my problem.'”
While questions remained about where they would go, Street Outreach was there to provide support.
“Right now the individuals are coming up with a place that they would like to go to and I’m just here to support them and help them either gather their belongings and … get them to another safe spot for them to kind of camp out,” says HomeBase Housing Case Manager Brendan Perry.
City officials say it “continues to work with service providers, community partners and multiple levels of government to increase our affordable and transitional housing supply while increasing shelter and homelessness supports.”
The encampment community was packed up and clearing the area by about 2 p.m., having to come up with their next steps on the fly.
Now that the encampment protocol has been reinstated, it means that any place that they choose to go will remain at risk.
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