An eviction notice has been issued to people living in a camp in central Kitchener, but now the question is, where will they go?
The Waterloo region said everyone should move from Victoria and Weber Street by June 30th.
The region posted notices at the camp on Monday, June 5th.
The region said the camp has grown rapidly in recent weeks and there are now more than 50 tents.
“This particular place has become unsafe lately,” Regional Councilor Mike Harris said on Monday. “It was at high risk, and for the safety of the campers and the surrounding neighbors and businesses, the region has taken steps to notify.”
THE STORY OF MARK ASHLEY
Mark Ashley used to stay at the Victoria Street camp, but left two weeks ago, in part out of concern for his dog’s health.
“It’s sad to think about how dangerous it is to live at this intersection, due to the lack of shade in the heat,” Ashley said. “My dog wouldn’t survive.”
Ashley moved to Civic Park, near the Kitchener Public Library. But on Friday, Kitchener City Council told him he had to leave on Tuesday, June 7th.
“He was a very nice man, very well spoken,” Ashley said. “He said, ‘Mark, we’ve had a lot of complaints about you being here. We have to ask you to leave.’
Ashley now has to figure out where to move next.
“I asked him, ‘Where would you go if it were me? Who are these people complaining and where would they live if it were me?'”
It will be the second time he has had to move in the last month
“THIS IS THE BEST PLACE”
Ashley said she likes her current location, near the Kitchener Public Library, because it is safer and closer to community support.
“I feel a lot safer knowing that there was a building here,” he said. “Also Nicole, who lives in the building next door and works for 519, and they’ve been very helpful.”
Nicole Janssen works for 519 Community Collective, a grassroots support network.
“Mark has been transferred more than 35 times,” he said. “This is the best place he has ever been and he has that sense of security, that sense of community.”
When people are evicted from a public place, such as a campground, they are usually offered a place in an emergency shelter or motel.
“This becomes very difficult for a number of reasons and is often regularly dismissed due to physical and mental security issues,” said Leslie Compton, a housing advocate for The Unsheltered Campaign.
It is a common cycle for people who are not housed. They feel that the emergency reception system is not working for them and they are looking for a place to put up a tent.
Compton helps people like Ashley move into the apartment.
Interim measures such as emergency shelters, he said, are often worse than living on the street.
“You have to give up your pets, your belongings, your exposure to drugs and alcohol, [and] this is especially detrimental to people who are recovering successfully. “
“WILL THAT NEVER CHANGE?”
Ashley hopes to find a permanent place to live and recover her life.
“It could be an apartment, like a building here, that suits me,” he said. “An elevator for my dog, air conditioning. I’d like to go back to work if I could as a bricklayer. I could get off the ODSP.”
But until she finds some stability, Ashley has very few options.
“I would never want anyone to live that way,” he said. “I’m not living. I wake up at three in the morning to make it rain and everything gets wet. My dog is lying on the ground. I say to myself, ‘Will that ever change?’
Ashley also wants to see her family.
“I just want my life back,” he said. “I want to see my mother.”
The city of Kitchener told CTV News that an outreach group is close to securing temporary housing for Ashley and should be available next week. In the meantime, you can continue to stay in the Civic Park.