Some living at a tent encampment on Wolfe Street in Peterborough claim their belongings were bulldozed on Wednesday morning as the city prepares to add temporary modular housing this fall.
City staff began installing construction fencing around two municipal parking lots, which for months have seen dozens of tents erected by those experiencing homelessness. Next to the lots are the city’s emergency overflow bed shelter.
Among the concerned were Heidi McKinnon and Nicole Menard, who said they were both asked to pack up their belongings on the Wolfe Street lot and relocate to allow for installation of the yellow metal bar fencing.
“We weren’t notified of anything, no notices posted up,” said Menard. “We were notified by volunteers and other residents that we have to move our tents.”
In May city council endorsed adding up to 50 temporary modular housing units by October on the city-owned 210 Wolfe St. lot and adjacent Rehill parking lot as a short-term plan to address homelessness.
The city on Wednesday said the construction fencing is temporary and is being installed around the municipal parking lot at Wolfe and Aylmer streets along with sections of the south and north sides of the Rehill lot between Dalhousie and Wolfe streets. Gates are also being installed to prevent vehicle access to the lots.
Eventually, the construction fencing will be replaced by privacy fencing, the city notes.
Temporary washrooms will be also installed in the Rehill lot in the coming weeks, the city said. The city’s plan also includes offering a drop-in centre service and converting the Wolfe Street building used as the overflow shelter bed into a homelessness services hub.
However, McKinnon says the stress of being forced to relocate is impacting individuals’ mental health.
“It’s been terrifying because we’ve already been dealing with it for quite some time,” said McKinnon. “There was a point where they were bulldozing weekly and taking people’s lives — their homes — away weekly.”
Neighbours and homeowners in the area are also sharing concerns about the construction fencing being installed. Alix Kempf, chairperson of the Wolfe Street and Area Neighbourhood Association, says there has been a lack of consultation on the temporary modular housing plan.
She says the construction fencing is the latest in a pattern she has come to expect from the city.
“We have really been advocating for more dialogue with the city and with services to try to come up with a neighbourhood strategy to at least minimize the impact,” she said. “This is really for us just another example of the city going ahead and doing something without discussion.”
However, the city claims consultation occurred.
Community services commissioner Sheldon Laidman says beginning this week, outreach staff have been working out of the overflow shelter to both notify the community and identify who the housing would best serve at the encampment.
The city also said a neighbourhood liaison committee is being created with residents, city council representatives, a representative from Peterborough Police Service and city staff members.
“Our outreach staff will be working with persons to develop a plan for each person to try to have a housing plan for them if they’re not to be staying on the site,” he told Global News.
But residents on and off the encampment remain adamant that the fencing and bulldozing came as a shock.
Menard is somewhat skeptical of the temporary modular housing plan.
“It just feels like another band-aid being put on for the public,” she said.
“We need help — we need counselling, we need a lot more services than what are being offered. Fencing us off of a certain lot? It’s not helping.”
A city staff report in May reported that by mid-April there were 302 individuals on the city’s by-name priority list (BNPL), a real-time list of all people experiencing homelessness in the city. The list encompasses those staying in shelters, outside or in precarious housing scenarios.
Over half (161), were deemed “chronically experiencing homelessness,” meaning they have been homeless for at least six months within the last year (and not necessarily consecutive months). The city estimated between 53 and 70 individuals were unsheltered.
The city currently offers 106 emergency shelter beds at three permanent sites and an overflow shelter (74 shelter beds operating 24-7 and 32 beds available for 12 hours a night).
Once the modular units are installed, tenting will no longer be tolerated by the city at Wolfe Street. Since August 2019, tenting has been banned on municipal property (except Beavermead Campground) in response to dozens of tents that appeared in Victoria Park downtown, which is land owned by Peterborough County.
— with files from Sam Houpt, Global News Peterborough
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