Housing crisis escalating as cold weather rolls in, says volunteer

As protests for safe, permanent and affordable housing enter their fourth week and with snow in the forecast Monday night those living in and helping those insidetwo tent encampments in St. John's say government officials need to do more.

Steven Blake is on his second stint in an encampment. He was put up in a shelter on Larkhall Street, he says, but he leftdue to poor housing conditions including mouse feces he found in a drawer.

Blake was also accused of assaulting the owner of the home, afterhe lowered his shoulder into her chest to prevent her from entering the unit's kitchen. The incident happened after he invited members of the media into the house.

He told CBC News he'll be evicted from his current place on Wednesdayand he's uncertain of the future and his own safety ahead of another cold night in the elements.

"Some psycho with a knife slashed my son's tent,And we don't feel safe [at Confederation Hill].We don't feel safe downtown, so we've gone camping somewhere else," Blake said Monday.

"I don't know what to do, I honestly don't know what to do. This has been the most stressful part of my life ever."

Snow is in the forecast for Monday night, followed by periods of rain and wind. The last time high winds hit the encampment on Confederation Hill, on Oct. 17, tents were destroyed and some residents were temporarily displaced.

Blake wants the provincial governmentto increase its efforts in helping people find safe, affordable housing.

"I honestly think that a cold country should show responsibility to house its people. It's a cold country, it's torture," he said."What kind of country doesn't take care of their citizens?"

WATCH | Mark Wilson says government needs to do more to help residents of tent encampments:

Bannerman Park has a tent city and this volunteer says the issue of homelessness is escalating

12 months ago

Duration 1:40

As cold weather, torrential rain and even snow approaches, Volunteer Mark Wilson says its time for all levels of government to treat this like the actual crisis that it is.

Mark Wilson of St. John's has been volunteering to make sure residents of encampments at both Confederation Hill and Bannerman Park are looked after. He saidmore needs to be done.

"Somebody needs to step in and treat this like the actual crisis that it is," Wilson said.

Wilson wants the City of St. John's to do more to help residents of the encampments, which he saidwould be as easy as keeping park bathrooms unlocked or unlocking pool houses like the one at Bannerman Park so that residents could shower.

He'd also like to see what has been done in other municipalities like Halifax, asking the city to designate areas for tent encampments where garbage could be collected and water could be delivered.

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