5 days ago
Stop calling 911 about unhoused people on Public Utility Commission property: CK police
The Chatham-Kent Police Service is asking people to please stop calling 911 about unhoused people camped on the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) property on Grand Avenue.
Calling 911 is for emergencies only, the force said in a news release issued Thursday.
"The Chatham-Kent Police Service is aware of the presence of unhoused individuals choosing to shelter at the PUC property, which is municipally-owned and is within the guidelines of the municipality's encampment protocol," police said.
"Unhoused individuals are permitted to shelter at this property under existing guidelines."
Outreach workers from R.O.C.K., Reach Out Chatham-Kent, have been working with the municipality to help relocate residents of an encampment in the downtown park on the edge of the Thames River.
City officials say they needed people out of the park by the start of this week because a construction project requires the site for equipment storage into next year.
Unhoused can camp if there's no adequate alternative
The eviction has led to confusion among unhoused people and their advocates over where they can legally camp.
Courts have ruled that Ontario municipalities cannot evict encampment residents without offering adequate, accessible shelter spaces.
"This means that the Municipality of Chatham-Kent cannot remove people who are experiencing homelessness unless alternative options are provided or there are compelling safety concerns," the municipality says on its website.
"Chatham-Kent's current emergency shelter (Victoria Park Place) operated at 99 per cent capacity on average in 2024, illustrating that there are simply not enough beds for the approximately 200-plus individuals experiencing homelessness in Chatham-Kent."
The municipality's encampment policy prohibits encampments in the following areas.
On or within 100 metres of municipal playgrounds, water parks, splash pads, beaches or sports fields.
On or within 100 metres of any elementary school, childcare facility, assisted living facility or other health or social services facility providing support or care services to youth or vulnerable populations.
Within 10 metres of any private property line.
On or under bridges.
On or within five metres of sidewalks or pedestrian paths.
On or within 25 metres of any cemetery.
On or within five metres of an off-leash dog area.
On or within five metres of any community garden.
In any actively used parking lot.
In or on any public-use building or structure.
In areas that block the free movement of another person on a street, public pathway, sidewalk or other path of public travel.
On municipal land where individuals have a private easement or ownership interest or where the municipality owes a duty to maintain the land to the benefit or partial benefit of private individuals (i.e. beach access).
On municipal lands in areas obstructing construction or maintenance activities.
Structures must be freestanding and able to be moved as necessary, the rules say.
The policy also expresses zero tolerance for violence or other criminal acts and demands that sites "maintain a level of reasonable cleanliness."
That includes no used, uncapped needles in or around the site and no unreasonable amounts of garbage, clutter, or uncontained debris.
