Encampment problem not a simple fix
Opinion
It just goes to show that planning and good intentions don't always lead to an easy fix.
Residents along parts of the Red River have been disappointed to see the return of homeless encampments, which had previously been cleared out as part of a provincial effort to shut down the camps and find appropriate housing for their residents.
The province's Your Way Home plan has shown some progress — a spokesperson for Housing Minister Bernadette Smith has said the strategy has found housing and supports for 30 people who had previously been living in 16 encampments. Better still, it seems those people have remained in the housing found for them, rather than winding up back in the camps.
CAROL SANDERS / FREE PRESS
Encampment cleared on Waterfront Drive is being re-inhabited.
However, it may be that the province's optimism about the strategy, and Winnipeggers' expectations for it, have been a little too intense.
The issue of homeless encampments — and the broader problem of homelessness — will not be solved quickly or tidily. Homelessness is the result of an array of socio-economic problems, and as city spokesperson Kalen Qually told the Free Press, dealing with the camps is 'like that game of whack-a-mole' — the camps and their populations move relatively easily from place to place, so removing a camp from one site does little to prevent it springing up somewhere else.
The plan states that the city, province and other groups will collaborate 'to regularly monitor the site to prevent further encampments from being established,' but it's difficult to see how that can be achieved without regular, active patrolling in the area. And the thought of such patrols taking place seems unappetizing as well — it's hard to enjoy the green space near your house when it has the appearance of being under guard or surveillance.
Further, while so far it looks like people are remaining in the housing found for them, the program is unlikely to flawlessly help every single person it attempts to aid. Incidents of people losing or leaving their housing and winding up back on the street is something for which the province, the city, and homeless advocacy and assistance groups will have to be prepared.
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According to End Homelessness Winnipeg's 2022 Street Census (the most recent for which data is available), there were 1,256 people experiencing homelessness in Winnipeg — that includes completely unsheltered people, those with provisional or emergency accomodations, and those in unknown locations. That's a lot of people to find housing for, especially considering Winnipeg's vacancy rate — as of December last year — was only 1.7 per cent.
The supports to which these individuals are being directed will need to be bolstered by both local and provincial governments if they are to have a fair chance of helping everybody. And more housing units will need to come online as well, something Smiths' spokesperson also acknowledged. Another consideration is that the homeless population is not static; without proper services, programs and supports to keep others from becoming homeless, we will end up helping current members of that marginalized community only to be faced with others down the line.
The province's goals with Your Way Home appear to have been too ambitious. But that is not to say the program is a failure; things are moving more slowly than promised — which is fair cause for frustration, as ever when a government doesn't follow through on its word.
But things are moving forward. People are getting help.
And when it comes to getting people out of a bad situation and into a safer, more supportive environment, every person helped should be taken as a win.
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