Government help needed to get tent camp ready for winter, Regina advocates for homeless people say

Advocates for those who are homeless in Regina are calling on the municipal and provincial governmentsto declare a state of emergency and public health crisis because of homelessness and addiction in the city.

As winter draws nearer, they're preparing to erectwhat's being called a"tent city"at Pepsi Park, in Regina's Heritage neighbourhood,that could operate as a temporary shelter for people experiencing homelessness.

The first sheltera small blue-and-grey tent went upon Friday afternoon.

"Hopefully, this is the start of something better for our people on the street," said Shylo Stevenson,a communications officer for Regina Needle Recovery and Community Support.

His non-profit outreach group is asking the city, the province and the Saskatchewan Health Authority to declare a state of emergency and public health crisis in response tothe increasing pressures of homelessness and addictions on people.

It's not currently known just how many people are experiencing homelessness in the city. Acount is planned for this fall.

A 2015 count found there were 232 homeless people in Regina,while a 2018 count put the number at286.

City of ReginaCoun. Andrew Stevens (Ward3)said he's prepared to put forward a motion to declare a state of emergency, with a list of supports that people need, but hopes the city can find solutionswithout involvingcouncil.

Stevenson said the needle recovery organization and other groups came to a verbal agreement with the city that tents in the park wouldn't betorn down, as happened this pastsummer in Toronto, whenpolice cleared an encampment and arrested 26 people.

But Regina's tent city remains a work in progress that, so far, hasn't been given simple necessities, advocates say.

In an email toMayor Sandra Mastersand several city officials, the chair ofCarmichael Outreach's board asked ifthe city can be counted on to "help provide the basic human dignities of a washroom."

"I cannot in good conscience send folks to a place without a washroom and the basic human dignities that cleanliness affords. Never. Let alone in the midst of a pandemic," board chairAlysia Johnson wrote.

"These are people, not dogs going to a dog park."

Johnson's email said she's been waiting for a response for three weeks.

In a separate email, she asked for funding to rent large event-styletents, fencing for security, industrial heaters, portable toilets, garbage cans and disposalboxes for needles.

The requests were aimed atproviding"safety, service and dignity to those who will make this space a temporary place of refuge," she wrote.

CBC News contacted the City of Regina for a response to Johnson's emails.

"Before we respond publicly to letters sent to city officials, we first strive to respond directly to the individuals or organizations who have contacted us in writing,"a city spokespersonsaid.

CBCalso contacted the government of Saskatchewan and Saskatchewan Health Authority for comment but has not yet received a response.

'No place to go'

In an interview with CBC Radio'sTheMorning Edition, Stevenson told hostStefani Langeneggerthere's no room for people in shelters right now.

Some shelters are closed for pandemic-related reasons andothers are accepting fewer people, leaving "no place to go" for those who are homeless, Stevenson said.

He said he knows ofa new shelter in the works, but it won't openin the near future.

Regina Needle Recovery saidit contacted the City of Regina in July about creating a winter weather strategy, similar to what is now being implemented. The idea came from observations in Vancouver of a similar tent setup.

ButStevenson said heonly heard back on that request a couple of weeks ago, when they were given the go-aheadalong with Carmichael Outreach to facilitate, he said.

While it will be located nearsupport services like amethadone pharmacy and a John Howard Society location,the tent city is only a "Band-Aid" solution.

"We expect our people to sleep in a tent in 40 C, 50 C weather and hope they make it. And it's a matter of when, not if, someone passes away from the elements from being homeless," Stevenson said.

"It's sad and unfortunate that we're putting our people through this when a lot of our pets get more respect and more value than a lot of our people battling addiction, battling homelessness and trying to get on their feet," he said.

In a letter posted to its Facebook page, Regina Needle Recovery expresseddisappointment withthe city for not providing afacility to house some of the city's most vulnerable.

It also said that there's beena dramatic uptick in homelessness as a result ofthe provincial governmentimplementing the Saskatchewan Income Supportprogram in place ofprevious support programs something advocates predicted in 2019.

A systemic problem

Stevenson said under the newer income support program, whichreplaced the Saskatchewan Assistance Programand the Transitional Employment Allowance,money is given directly to people to pay their bills.

It's less than what was supplied with the previous programs, Stevenson said.

The previous assistance program also provided the money directly to landlords, eliminating the possibility that people battling addiction would spend the money elsewhere.

According to the Saskatchewan Landlord Association, 31 per cent of tenants who useincome support didn't pay their rent for the month of September.

"People were struggling already with the [Saskatchewan Assistance] Program from social services, and then they go and change the programs and reduce the amount that a person does receive," Stevenson said.