Latest news with #unhoused
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
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.
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
R.I. homelessness is down, but more people are out in the cold? New data says it's true.
Someone with no other place to go sleeps in front of a closed restaurant on Broadway in Newport at 9:30 a.m. on May 2, 2025. (Photo by Janine L. Weisman/Rhode Island Current) For the first time in half a dozen years, the number of unhoused people in Rhode Island is on the decline. But the good news comes with a caveat: More people were without shelter when volunteers from the Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness conducted its annual winter census for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development all across the state on a frigid night in January. Among the people who were either in a shelter or on the street counted on the night of Jan. 21, 2025, over 40% had been unhoused for more than a year, according to data released Thursday. The results of the 2025 Point in Time count were presented to the board of directors for the Rhode Island Continuum of Care — the collection of state departments and nonprofit organizations that manage the state's homelessness response — during its monthly meeting at the United Way of Rhode Island. At least 2,373 unhoused individuals were counted across the state on that Tuesday night in January when the temperature hovered around 18 degrees in Providence. The number of individuals is down 2.8% from the record high of 2,442 counted in 2024, marking the first decrease since 2019. 'Although an overall decrease seems really exciting, it's the result of fewer emergency shelter beds being online,' Kimberly Simmons, the coalition's executive director, told the 12 board members present. According to Simmons' presentation, there were 1,826 shelter beds available in January 2025 — representing a decrease of 71 spots compared to the previous year. As the number of beds dropped, the number of unsheltered Rhode Islanders rose over 15%. Overall, the coalition counted 618 people whose primary residence is a car, tent, abandoned building, or other outdoor space. Last year that number was 534. Around 66% of unsheltered people were considered 'chronically homeless,' meaning they were unhoused for more than a year and have a substance or mental health disorder. Overall, 1,022 of those surveyed by the coalition were deemed chronically homeless. The increase in chronic homelessness was the result of longer lengths of stay in motels and other shelter space made available by the state. Advocates and lawmakers had pushed Gov. Dan McKee to call for a state of emergency over the winter to try and open up more shelter beds, with a particular focus on expediting the opening of ECHO Village — the community of 45 pallet shelters off Route 146 in Providence. ECHO Village opened on Feb. 11, after sitting empty for a year as officials struggled to figure out how the cabins fit into the state's fire and building codes, which had no category for the shelters. But McKee resisted the calls to rush the village's opening, contending that an emergency declaration would not yield any federal funds toward the issue and could create potential problems should regulations be relaxed. 'If it had been open in the beginning of the year, more individuals could have been served,' Simmons said in an interview after the board meeting.. And while the total number of unhoused individuals was down from the prior year, Simmons told Rhode Island Current that the census likely undercounted, as there are many people who are couch surfing or have been forced to double up with relatives or friends. There were some positives from this year's census. The number of families who are unhoused decreased by 1.1% — with no unsheltered families counted. Transitional housing increased by three beds and the state saw an additional 37 permanent supportive housing units go up. Simmons said she is concerned that the state's homeless population could skyrocket in the future as the Trump administration and Congressional Republicans cut funding for social programs. 'We're still in the hole,' she said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
CBC
08-07-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Toronto's unhoused population more than doubled in 3 years, new city survey finds
Toronto's unhoused population more than doubled in three years, reaching an estimated 15,400 last fall, according to a new city survey that calls the numbers a "crisis." Toronto's 2024 Street Needs Assessment homelessness survey, a point-in-time count of people experiencing homelessness, says the situation is one that "no single organization, sector, or level of government can address alone." The survey, released on Monday, says the latest estimate from October 2024 is an increase from the 7,300 unhoused people estimated to be in Toronto in April 2021. "When multiple systems such as affordable housing, health care, mental health, income support, and the justice system fail, people are left with nowhere to turn and the shelter system or staying in encampments becomes the option of last resort," the survey says. Research shows the increase being driven by a lack of affordable housing, unmet health needs, inadequate income support and individual struggles with substance use, the survey says. It also says the increase mirrors trends seen in Ontario and across Canada. Racialized people continue to be overrepresented in homelessness rates, according to the survey. It found that nine per cent of the total unhoused population surveyed in October identified as Indigenous, while 58 per cent identified as Black. Indigenous people make up only three per cent of the city's population, while Black people make up 10 per cent. The survey says Indigenous people make up 31 per cent of people experiencing what it calls outdoor homelessness. The number of unhoused people who identified as part of the 2SLGBTQ+ community has also doubled since 2021, with the greatest representation among refugee claimants at 31 per cent and young people staying in city sites at 27 per cent. Numbers of unhoused people dropping, city says In a news release on Monday, the city said it has seen a drop in the numbers of unhoused people since the survey was conducted. It attributes the drop to a decrease in refugee claimants in shelters, lower encampment numbers across the city and movement of people into permanent housing. Gord Tanner, general manager of the city's Toronto Shelter and Support Services, described the increase in the city's unhoused population on Tuesday as "significant" and he said the numbers are driven by failures by a number of systems, including housing, income support, immigration, child welfare and health care. Tanner said the survey helped to identify unhoused people's needs in terms of housing and the supports needed to get them out of homelessness. "Fundamentally, this is an affordability issue. People need more money to afford a place to live. They need more money to maintain their housing," he said. "And when you look beyond the income issue, people need support finding housing. They need support with some mental health and unmet health needs." He said the city needs a long-term, coordinated plan from the federal and provincial governments to invest more in preventing homelessness. That means efforts to keep people from losing their housing, working with young people and children so that they never become homeless and supporting refugee claimants as they arrive to prevent them from ending up in shelters. "What we really need is that upstream support to have somewhere for them to go permanently." CBC Toronto has reached out to the Ontario and federal governments for comment. Tanner said the city is building more supportive and affordable housing, as well as supporting thousands of refugee claimants to leave the shelter system and to get into housing. Its teams are connecting with people in encampments and on the transit system, he said. According to the city, 1,078 people living outside were referred into shelters last year, more than 4,300 people were housed and 25,000 outreach visits were made to people experiencing homelessness. Up to 45 new front-line and outreach workers are being hired this year. Report is 'devastating,' advocate says One homeless advocate says she hopes the numbers are a "turning point" for change, while others say they aren't entirely surprising. All say the numbers demand a response from all three levels of government. "It takes a lot to shock me, but I was shocked by the numbers. And I say that knowing that they're clearly even an underestimation of the numbers, especially of people living outside. So over 15,000 people are homeless in the city of Toronto," longtime street nurse Cathy Crowe said on Monday. "I think this is a devastating report overall because of the numbers," she said. "They're not numbers. They're people. They're men and women and youth and families with children," she added. "I hope it's a wake-up call." Greg Cook, an outreach worker at non-profit organization Sanctuary and a member of the steering committee of Shelter and Housing Justice Network, said the numbers and trends identified in the survey are concerning. He noted that the survey says outdoor homelessness has increased in Toronto since 2021 from 742 to 1,615 in 2024. "From what I'm seeing on the ground, no big surprises, although it does, I think, portray just how much worse the crisis has gotten," Cook said. Cook said the solution is clearly housing and all three levels of government need to be involved in the effort. "I think ultimately we need housing that people can afford and we have done that in the past. The government knows how to do this. Really, what we need is tens of thousands of units every year of subsidized housing built," Cook said.
CBC
08-07-2025
- Politics
- CBC
City Hall encampment protesters forced to move from shaded park to concrete amid heat wave
Aura Carreño Rosas Bylaw and police officers cleared around 40 tents On Sunday afternoon, the sun was beating down on the hot pavement of City Hall. Unhoused protesters and pitched tents — once under the trees at the park adjacent to the building — were scattered throughout the forecourt, some seeking shade, others under the sun. On Friday, protesters who had spent over a month at the City Hall Peace Park were asked to move. A city spokesperson said 60 notices of trespass were issued. Some people were sitting near the fountains on Sunday, where it was slightly cooler, but even that shade offered little relief. "The heat's been scorched. There's no reprieve from it. I'm pretty much burnt to a crisp now because of it," John Phillips, an unhoused protester with the Hamilton Encampment Support Network (HESN) told CBC Hamilton. Phillips hasn't had a "stable place to call home" for around four years, he said. For the last 42 days, since May 26, over 100 housed and unhoused protesters, some with HESN, had been demanding to speak with councillors after being ordered to leave trails and parks. In March, the city restarted enforcing its bylaw that bans tents in public spaces. On July 4, HESN housed protester, Leah McMillan, said around 25 officers from Hamilton police and bylaw services as well as paramedics showed up at the encampment. McMillan told CBC Hamilton on Sunday that it wasn't unusual for city staff to tell them to clear the park since the ending of the encampment protocol in January. "But this time was something different, where they claimed that the grass needed to be remediated," they told CBC Hamilton. A City of Hamilton spokesperson, James Berry, told CBC Hamilton protesters were not asked to move because of the grass restoration work, but rather the city and police carried out enforcement of the parks bylaw, which doesn't permit encampments in public parks. "With the area cleared, Parks staff are beginning the process of restoring the grass so it can be safely used and enjoyed by everyone," Berry said. Berry said there are no fines related to the notices of trespass issued and added, since the day after the protest started, police and bylaw officers have "carried out 12 enforcement operations," at the Peace Park, which is near the corner of Bay and Main Streets. "These operations also consist of the City Housing Focus Street Outreach team visiting the site daily to actively engage with individuals," he said. Temperatures reached a high of 34 C on Sunday Temperatures on Sunday were as high as 34 C, with a humidex of 39. A heat warning issued by Environment Canada was in effect for the area the whole weekend. City Hall is one of the designated cooling places people can go to during a heat wave. However, these spots are only available during business hours, so those sitting outside during the weekend couldn't go into the building for a break from the heat. Phillips said he suffered from heat stroke on Saturday. He said after all this time asking council to meet, only one councillor, Ward 2's Cameron Kroetsch, has approached them to speak. He said he feels like council doesn't care about the wellbeing of those experiencing homelessness. Berry said protesters were given resources to register as a delegate at committee, but no official requests to "meet with council as a delegation," have been received. He also said the city wants to make sure the space is used safely "while recognizing the public nature of its use," and respecting the right to protest. "With this balanced approach in mind, and in consideration of the escalating health and safety concerns in the forecourt, Municipal Law Enforcement officers, with the support of Hamilton Police Service, attended the site to encourage individuals to leave," he said. Despite city housing outreach workers being present while people were being asked to move on Friday, Phillips said no one had an answer on where unhoused protesters would go. "They said they had 27 beds in shelters, but we had anywhere from 100 to 150 people here," he said. Phillips added people in encampments don't feel safe. "Not everybody wants to be out here on the streets. I would love, love to be able to go into a home and call it mine and lay my head down on a pillow … instead of not knowing where I'm going to be each night." McMillan said since being removed from the grass, a few people have decided to leave City Hall for a variety of reasons, including police presence and the constant heat. "What happens when you displace people is you put them in more and more precarious situations," they said. "Every time someone is displaced ... that is a violent phenomenon. You are forcing someone out of what relative stability they possibly could have and back into the complete unknown."
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
'Community feedback' and threats: Burlington pauses program for homeless before it starts
Just one day after a pilot program was announced that would allow unhoused people to park their cars at Perkins Pier overnight, city officials rolled back the program, stating it was on an 'indefinite pause.' The statement came from Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak's office. The program was slated to begin on the evening of July 4, with interested participants needing to request a permit to park for free between 6 p.m. and 8 a.m. At the time the city decided to roll back the program on July 3, city staff had not initiated intake or issued permits for overnight parking. The mayor's office said the administration came to this decision based on 'substantial community feedback, and out of concern for the safety of program participants based on threatening comments made by members of the public on various online platforms.' The pilot program was coming at a critical time, as Vermont's hotel/motel program canceled vouchers and exits dozens of families from the housing program. Data shared by the Agency of Human Services indicates 100 households, including 61 children, were required to leave motels beginning July 1 across Chittenden County. The free and safe parking was just one initiative to help. The mayor's office said it will 'continue to consult with city staff as this situation evolves, and should different responses be necessary from a public health and safety perspective, we will prioritize notice to the community.' The city also shared that 'it is important to note that the city of Burlington does not have the resources or staff capacity to address the need for shelter or services to respond to the crisis of unsheltered homelessness.' The city administration said they will continue to call on state officials to ensure more stable shelter is available to households as they wait for permanent, affordable housing to be secured. Shelter providers and advocates from across Vermont said they will continue to hold emergency meetings and planning sessions to sound the alarm over this crisis caused by mass evictions from the state's General Assistance Emergency Housing Program. Sydney P. Hakes is the Burlington city reporter. Contact her at SHakes@ This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Burlington won't permit overnight parking for homeless: What changed
