City crews were out again Tuesday cleaning up the remains of the homeless encampment in Kingston’s Belle Park that has surrounded the Integrated Care Hub.
While many have been relocated to local shelters, a few people aren’t leaving.
At its height, Kingston’s director of licensing and enforcement estimates there were as many as 60 to 70 people living in Belle Park last fall.
The estimate is down to seven or eight people on a permanent basis.
“Then we’ve got about an equal amount, another seven to eight or so, that are in and out of there fairly frequently,” says Curtis Smith, the director of licensing and enforcement.
Smith says bylaw staff, along with outreach workers, are there on a daily basis working with those that remain, “to get them further in their housing journey to real accommodations of some sort.”
“At the very least, we’ve got shelter spaces available we’d love them to take advantage of,” he says.
But for some, like an unhoused camper also named Curtis Smith, living outside is preferable to his experiences in the shelter system.
“I don’t have to worry about sleeping in there and then waking up with my pockets emptied,” he says.
“It’s horrible, man.”
The director of licensing and enforcement says bylaw officers and outreach workers will continue their work to build relationships with the few campers that remain, and encourage them to take advantage of city services.