Municipalities call for a shelter solution

A homeless encampment in downtown Chatham, seen on April 8, 2024. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor)

Ontario municipalities say there were 1,400 encampments last year and the City of Windsor is not immune.

“I was quite shocked to see there were 1,400 encampments in Ontario,” said Andrew Daher, Windsor’s Commissioner of Human Services.

The Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) has released results of a 2023 survey of cities and towns in the province, touching on the rise of encampments.

Windsor reported two encampments during the survey year, but now the city estimates there are between eight and ten encampments.

“It ebbs and flows,” Daher said. “You will see more encampments during the spring and summer months, but usually during the winter months two, maximum three.”

According to the city, the encampments are not dangerous and some have no more than three or four people.

“We have our outreach workers going out there to have a conversation with them, trying to connect them back into the community, whether it be shelters, whether it be family or friends. And we've been pretty successful,” Daher pointed out.

Bryan Rock, manager of housing for Family Services Windsor-Essex, said his crew reaches out to people at encampments. “We want to have meaningful engagement and conversation with these individuals, find out what is stopping you from having housing right now. What are the barriers,” he said.

Rock said part of their work is building trust with those down on their luck. The goal is to find shelter for people and create a plan.

“It's fairly successful,” Rock noted. “Some people are very resistant to accessing the shelter for various reasons. So, it does take time to try to work through those issues.”

People experiencing homelessness vary in age, according to the city. The executive director of the Downtown Mission is starting to see an older demographic at her door and on the street.

“Some of them we don't see here at the mission,” Executive Director Rukshini Ponniah-Goulin said. “I'm not sure where they are staying or where they're sheltering at night, but they are out there. It's just sad to see that.”

The AMO is hosting a conference this weekend and many hope the government will react to the province-wide encampment problem.

“It's a really important report that's come forward to provide some direction,” said city councillor Kieran McKenzie, who is running for a board seat with AMO.

“AMO does a really good job of a deep dive analysis of the challenges that municipalities are facing and providing recommendations, not only to the cities but also senior levels of government, and the best ways that they could support municipalities in dealing with those challenges.”