With a city-sanctioned homeless encampment taking shape at Energy Court in downtown Sudbury, area residents to its west are concerned.
These concerns are less about themselves than they are for the safety of the people who will be living in the shanty town being set up at Energy Court.
At least, that is the opinion among area residents Sudbury.com spoke to while doorknocking earlier this week.
Energy Court is located behind Chris’ Your Independent grocery store. It’s enclosed by railroad tracks to the south, downtown businesses to the north and east, and a residential neighbourhood alongside a handful of commercial spaces to the west.
“There are a lot of danger concerns,” said area resident Bruce, who declined to share his last name.
A resident of the neighbourhood for the past 25 years, he said crime “has been worse, it’s been better,” and his vehicle tends to get broken into at least once per year.
Still, he’s not concerned about the encampment’s potential to impact area crime rates.
He’s more concerned about what area residents will face this winter.
“It’s heartbreaking,” he said.
Having spent a couple of years homeless himself, Bruce said he knows firsthand the harrowing circumstances encampment residents will face this winter.
His take on the encampment?
“You’re not helping them,” he said.
Centralizing the city’s homeless community in one place will make viruses spread more easily, and tents will be difficult to keep warm during the winter months.
People will need to heat their tents somehow, Bruce said, curious as to how many fires and carbon monoxide poisonings and deaths will take place this winter.
Sitting on their front step on Monday, area residents Carter Prince and Max Grandmont echoed Bruce’s concerns for the people at Energy Court.
“I’d like to see them cared for rather than controlled,” Grandmont said, questioning the merits of shifting the city’s homeless community to one encampment overseen by law enforcement.
“I’d like to see proper support for the people there,” the three-year neighbourhood resident said. “I don’t necessarily think more police is the solution.”
Prince said the municipal 24/7 warming centre opening at Energy Court on Nov. 1 (using the old supervised consumption site building) should be bigger.
“It’s dehumanizing to think they’ll survive the winter in their tents,” Prince said. “I want them to be supported.”
A cashier at an area business who requested anonymity also said he’d like to see the city do more to help the homeless community.
“It’s unfortunate what has been happening,” he said, adding that the provincial and federal governments also need to step up.
An area business owner who requested anonymity said she’d like to see a formal plan take shape, since there’s a great deal of ambiguity in what the city and police have planned.
On this front, she commended Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce CEO Marie Litalien for pointing out the limited insights being shared on actions in a recently published open letter.
The business owner also said area businesses weren't consulted on the Energy Court encampment.
“I haven’t heard from anybody,” she said. “That’s a pretty huge change to make.”
The city needs to implement a broader range of security measures in the Energy Court region, she said, including patrolling officers and security cameras.
Sudbury.com sought insight from both the city and Greater Sudbury Police Service regarding what was being done to police and look after the safety of Energy Court residents.
A city spokesperson said staff have “been mobilizing quickly to ensure the safety and well-being of everyone as we develop a social services hub at Energy Court.”
Beginning Nov. 1, the Go-Give Project will begin operating its 24/7 warming centre at Energy Court, which will include security and peer support services.
“City-led services will also be provided, including client navigators to help people navigate the system to get to housing, and community paramedics to provide immediate wound care and first aid,” the spokesperson said. “Through a collaborative response, staff will continue regular engagement with those living in encampments, connecting them with appropriate support such as housing services and shelters.”
Frequent safety checks will also be conducted by city staff “to identify and mitigate risks, including removing unsafe heating devices from tents.”
The nearby warming centre will offer heated space to protect people from the extreme cold, though it likely lacks the capacity to hold all encampment residents at one time..
GSPS reiterated their pledge for a month-long crackdown on the downtown area during November. As previously reported, they’ll more readily arrest people for open drug use while an undercover effort cracks down on drug dealers.
As with prior correspondence, a police spokesperson declined to ascribe numbers to their pledge for an increased police presence.
“It will vary based on staffing and resources and will be fluid throughout the day. Community Response Unit officers remain dedicated to the downtown,” they said.
“This will be complimented daily by officers from Patrol, Integrated Traffic Safety and Emergency Response, as well as the Indigenous Liaison Unit who will be working collaboratively with community partners to do outreach.”
The one-month effort will be reassessed at the end of November to determine what future efforts in the area should look like.
As for ongoing efforts at Energy Court, GSPS noted that it will be staffed by municipal law enforcement officers and police would respond to calls for service and work collaboratively with the municipal officers. The community response unit of police officers will also regularly conduct proactive patrols at Energy Court as part of their daily foot and bike patrols.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.