The City of Edmonton will debate how best to support moving individuals from homelessness to housing and recovery as tents emerge on city streets.. Edmonton Street 5 .In April as the weather got warmer, so did the abundance of tents and makeshift shelters around the streets of Edmonton as homeless and drug addicts continue to live outside of the rules of society..Tattered tarps, dilapidated tents, and trash blows aimlessly in the wind..Vulnerable people can be seen wandering the downtown core screaming and crying on a regular basis. Others lay slumped on the sidewalks..“Where am I supposed to go,” one lady screamed as she wandered amongst traffic on a busy downtown street..Some wear shoes, others have none. Regularly vulnerable people can seen moving around with a heavy load strapped to their backs attempting to find their next spot to set up..In August 2021, city council approved the adoption of a Minimum Emergency Shelter Standard to supplement existing shelter expectations and to make it easier for people experiencing homelessness to access shelter. The goal is to work cooperatively with the homeless-serving sector to improve standards, reduce barriers, increase uptake of available space, and help more people exit homelessness by rapidly connecting them with housing..As summer looms citizens are encouraged to call 311 or use the 311 app to report encampments.. Edmonton Street 2 .City park rangers are notified and investigate encampments within three to five days of the initial 311 report..“Closure and clean-up timelines are determined by the level of risk to people staying in the encampment as well as the surrounding community. Risks include the size of the encampment, bio-hazards, needles, garbage, fire, amount of materials present, propane tanks, and proximity to schools or playgrounds,” the City of Edmonton stated..The Encampment Response Team (ERT) responds to “low-risk homeless encampments” across the city and coordinates closures and clean-up. Its goal is to support the safety and well-being of people staying in encampments, housing them directly from encampments before enforcement and clean-up action are taken..If an encampment is a low risk, the ERT:.Works with agency partners to ensure outreach workers can attend the site and directly connect campers to housing and health supportSets a date for closure and clean-up. Campers are informed of the date in advance so they have time to gather their belongings and relocate to a shelter, bridge housing program, or other location of their choiceThis process may take a few days or up to a few weeks, based on the risk and available resources.If an encampment is a high risk, peace officers and EPS:.Determine a closure and clean-up date within 1-3 days of investigationProvide campers with information on available resources such as shelters, support services, and transportation options in advance of enforcement.“Encampments are a symptom of Edmonton’s shortage of safe, adequate and affordable housing and shelter capacity challenges,” Noor Al-Henedy from the City of Edmonton told the Western Standard..“The number of Edmontonians experiencing homelessness almost doubled during the pandemic. There are currently more than 2,750 people with no permanent home and more than 1,250 people are sleeping outside or in shelters on any given night.”.Al-Henedy said the city responds year round to encampments on public land through partnerships with the Edmonton Police Service, Homeward Trust, Bissell Centre and Boyle Street Community Services..The City’s Encampment Response Plan, adopted in 2021, focuses on two outcomes:.to coordinate the closure of low-risk encampments with clear and consistent connections to shelter and housing optionsto prevent the establishment of large scale encampments that have negative health and safety impacts.In April, as the weather warms the battle continues as tents are emerging all over the city.. Edmonton Street 3 .“Through municipal legislation, encampments on parkland or city road right of ways are not permitted,” Al-Henedy said..“However, enforcement tickets are not issued and the city takes a risk based approach to assessing encampment sites.”.Each encampment is assessed by officers, who determine the risk level of the site based on factors such as: size, risk to public safety, presence of safety hazards or fire risks, proximity to buildings, playgrounds or schools and other factors, Al-Henedy noted..“City peace officers and EPS respond to high-risk encampments with an accelerated response, timely resolution of these encampments is the priority,” Al-Henedy said..“Since the start of 2023, the Encampment Response team removed 347 encampments.”. Edmonton Street 4 .Al-Henedy said although the current approach achieved success in preventing large-scale encampments, it does not fully address the complex needs of people experiencing homelessness..“In response, administration has developed an enhanced encampment response for the next two years that builds on past successes while improving effectiveness through process changes and prototypes,” Al-Henedy said..“Administration presented the plan to the Community and Public Services Committee on April 11. Council will debate how best to support moving individuals from homelessness to housing and recovery at its meeting on April 17.”
