Chatham-Kent is moving forward to try and address encampment issues within the municipality.
Chatham council held a special meeting on Monday evening to discuss response efforts to assist those living in the encampment while also looking to support the safety, well-being, and quality of life for neighbouring residents and businesses.
The meeting saw over a dozen delegates who were torn between wanting better measures to assist those experiencing homelessness, while many others expressed concerns over their property, their family, and their livelihood with these encampments nearby.
In mid-June, those living in an encampment along the Thames River were forced to relocate due to work being completed along the waterway. As a result, many people ended up at the Public Utilities Commission property along Grand Avenue.
Following a lengthy discussion by council and administration, an 11 point notice of motion was made by mayor Darrin Canniff outlining measures such as continuing efforts with community services, exploring local housing options, a new protocol that there is to be no more than one tent per person, hiring additional temporary bylaw officers, installing security cameras where required, among more.
A report by administration will also be coming back to council at a future meeting to discuss appropriate locations for these encampments that fit within a 100, a 50, and a 25 metre setback radius. The current radius is 10 metres from private property.
Chatham resident Renee was a delegate and says it's not fair to assume these individuals in the encampment want to be there.
"Compassion asks us to pause and stay with our feelings of discomfort to ask 'is there a more generous way to see this situation?'. Not all behaviour that makes us uncomfortable is unsafe. To enact a change we are all seeking, we must ask ourselves whether someone poses a genuine threat, or if it's just discomfort that we are feeling in seeing poverty on display."
Loree Bailey with Hope Haven was a delegate and says while she understands the concern from nearby residents, it's also fearful living in an encampment.
"These encampments are also harmful to the very people that are living there. This is not what's best for them. This is not love, and it's not loving to have people live in this lifestyle. The issue of homelessness and addiction is massive, it's a massive issue, and small solutions are not going to fix it."
Chatham resident Amanda was a delegate and says while she feels compassion, it has also directly impacted her and her family.
"What was once a place for us to feel our children could grow up enjoying, sharing it with friends, and most of all feeling safe, is no longer. Now it is a place where we have to read pamphlets as a family in order for them to understand what is going on around us and what they have to do to keep themselves safe in our home."
Chatham-Kent councillor, Marjorie Crew, says at the end of the day all people are affected.
"The people living in the encampments, the people living in the neighbourhoods who woke up one day and there's an encampment in your backyard, the people who work really hard who have nice homes and you wake up to that reality of what we're facing in our community, the people who do the work here that work hard to find solutions and make decisions."
Crew says this is a team effort.
"All of us working towards a solution, and if we just show some kindness to everyone, we'll get through this a little bit easier, and all of us will get through this.".
Mayor Canniff says at the end of the day there are solutions.
"It's providing affordable housing, it's providing supportive housing, it's providing services for addictions, and service for mental health. We've talked about this and so many people who gave deputations talked about that, and ultimately that's much of the motion which is focused on that. We are moving ahead towards all of those."
Chatham administration states that on average, 33 people enter the homeless system monthly but only 19 exit, putting resources in a tough position as the homeless population increases.
The municipality states there are 10 known encampments in Chatham, and that there is approximately 240 individuals experiencing homelessness.
Chatham-Kent Police stated during the meeting that there have been over 140 calls for service since the encampment moved where over 70 calls were from residents and the remaining were from police.
Chatham-Kent staff and council state that they will continue to advocate with provincial and federal levels of government for funding and resources to better deal with the homelessness issues that are being experienced in Chatham.
-with files from CTV Windsor