More information is trickling out concerning what prompted the dismantling of a large homeless encampment on the site of the former Victor Dana plant located behind Memorial Arena.
City police responded to a violent assault Tuesday morning at the encampment.
“The person was taken to hospital with serious injuries,” advised St. Thomas Police Service corporate communication coordinator Samantha Wakefield.
“They are still in hospital and their status has been upgraded, they are improving. The magnitude of the assault required they be taken to hospital.”
Wednesday morning the city, with support from other community services, began dismantling a fortified structure on the large tract of land east of the Port Stanley Terminal Rail tracks.
A media release from city police late yesterday (Friday) afternoon advised four St. Thomas residents have been arrested and charged in relation to the assault which involved a weapon.
The charges include robbery with a weapon, robbery with violence, assault with a weapon and assault causing bodily harm.
Three of the accused have been remanded into custody while the fourth is out on a release order.
While the incident is not unique to St. Thomas, it underscores the growing severity of the homelessness situation in the city.
At a city council meeting in June of 2021, St. Thomas Police voiced concerns about homeless encampments on the property.
Wakefield says the encampment, which was significant in size, was being monitored prior to Tuesday’s assault.
According to a spokesperson with The Nameless – a community-based, peer-led, harm-reduction group of volunteers who are proactive boots on the ground – there may have been an attempt to close down the site earlier this spring.
More information on the involvement of The Nameless in the item below.
Wakefield adds the encampment was “significant in size and there had been a structure built in that area.”
“As a collective, we are committed to ensuring community safety and well-being for all residents, holding accountable those that choose to commit crimes, and support and connect to healthy pathways those that choose encampments to live.”
She notes, “it had been monitored by city services, St. Thomas Police and St. Thomas Fire as it continued to grow for not only safety reasons but also the well-being of those living at the encampment.”
Wakefield stresses “a compassionate approach” was taken when dealing with the displaced individuals.
“The encampments can be unsafe and dangerous for those who choose to live in an environment like that. So, we will continue to have a compassionate approach for those who need to access our services and require the assistance of social services or our MOST (Mobile Outreach Support Team).”
Police Chief Marc Roskamp advises that stolen property was recovered on the site with the hope it can be returned to the owners.
“individuals impacted by today’s activities have been offered and received assistance and support.”
He adds the camp offered “zero opportunity for moving out of homelessness.
“As a collective, we are committed to ensuring community safety and well-being for all residents, holding accountable those that choose to commit crimes, and support and connect to healthy pathways those that choose encampments to live.”
Heather Sheridan, director of St. Thomas-Elgin Social Services assures, “individuals impacted by today’s activities have been offered and received assistance and support.”
She stresses affordable and supportive housing is the solution to ending homelessness.
We have requested an interview with Danielle Neilson, the city’s Homelessness Prevention and Housing Programs Coordinator, on this week’s encampment situation as well as an update on the opening of The Station, the supportive housing development on Queen Street owned and operated by Indwell which is a key piece in mitigating the severity of homelessness in St. Thomas and Elgin county.
It is worth reiterating the observation of St. Thomas homebuilder Peter Ostojic who, in a conversation last September, warned homelessness and drug-related issues are not restricted to the downtown core.
He cited examples of people shooting up inside new homes under construction.
Ostojic cited another example at a property he owns on Manitoba Street.
“I can’t tell you how many times one of the tenants will get up in the morning and find someone sleeping in the corridor.”
SHOULD SAFE CAMPING BE IN THE HOMELESSNESS TOOLBOX?
On the flip side, the board chair of The Nameless argues encampments may very well be an important piece in the homelessness puzzle.
Amanda Zielinski also believes better planning and execution should have been undertaken by the city leading up to dismantling the Victor Dana encampment.
In a conversation with her the day after the camp was cleared, she describes the arrangement established by those living there.
“They very much were living like a community. They had house meetings, they had chores, they had expectations of each other while they were staying there. They were really looking out for one another.”
She admits it was a very transient population.
“It’s hard to say. Some nights there might be 14 people there, there might be more. And during the day there may only be a few. It depended on where people had to rest their heads that night. It was a safe spot, though.”
Well, it was until Tuesday morning although it has not been established whether the four individuals arrested on assault charges were regular visitors or what the nature of their business was that morning.
The encampment – not the first on that site – had been established some time ago, advises Zielinski.
“I want to say a few months. It definitely grew in the last two months. People have been using that camp for years but they have never been removed the way they were yesterday (Wednesday).
“They did build some structures. They had built a wall around the actual encampment,” and some form of primitive toilet facility.
“They definitely were working together to build a safe place.”
The residents received no warning as to what was about to transpire, according to Zielinski.
“Absolutely not. There was an incident that happened a couple of nights ago (the assault) that was made public.
“I went and spent some time with the campers (Wednesday). I brought them pizza, a lot of them were crying and shaken up. There were a lot of police on site.
“A lot of them had very strong emotions with seeing the work put in being torn down with excavators and a dump truck.
“I was there to hold them as they cried. Those are the things that were missing from their (the city’s) planning.” Zielinski takes that thought further.
“I’m in my 40s and I can’t imagine climbing onto a top bunk while someone underneath me is screaming throughout the night because of having nightmares from their trauma. These are the realities of what is happening.”
“Unfortunately our city was reactive instead of proactive. There could have been a lot of opportunity to have a conversation before just jumping in and saying, ‘OK, something violent happened, that’s it we’re tearing you down.’
“As opposed to with the few remaining people, let’s talk about this, let’s find a solution for you. Let’s make sure you have a safe place to be as opposed to unzipping their tents while they’re sleeping and telling them they had 45 minutes to leave the property.”
We asked her what was offered to the residents that morning.
“So, my understanding was some accommodation was offered but some of them couldn’t be met in that moment due to capacity issues and in other ways.
“Let’s be real. Inn Out of the Cold has done their very best with what they have. However, a large dorm is not necessarily the right fit for every individual.
“I’m in my 40s and I can’t imagine climbing onto a top bunk while someone underneath me is screaming throughout the night because of having nightmares from their trauma. These are the realities of what is happening. I know they were invited to go back and continue the conversations with social services. I know they have also reached out to their regular supports as well who were not included in this camp takedown.”
“Camping is going to exist. We could put up 20 shelters and they’re not necessarily going to be the right fit for every individual. Housing looks different for everybody. We can throw people in group homes, we can throw people in apartments, but unless they have the right housing for them, that meets their needs, they are not going to be successful and they’re going to find themselves back where they are.”
The sad reality is most of these individuals cram their life’s possessions into a shopping cart and they wheel that wherever they go.
Zielinski says provisions were made to deal with those items.
“They were allowed to gather what they could. Even though they were given 45 minutes, they took a lot longer than that because they had just woken up.
“My understanding is that storage options were made available but not everyone was able to make that decision in that moment.
“You’re talking to some people with trauma and complex mental health (issues) and with substance use and you’re putting them in a spot to just make a quick decision.
“So, it’s my understanding a lot of folks just grabbed what they could in that timeframe.”
She argues the city could have better supported the encampment.
“Camping is going to exist. We could put up 20 shelters and they’re not necessarily going to be the right fit for every individual. Housing looks different for everybody. We can throw people in group homes, we can throw people in apartments, but unless they have the right housing for them, that meets their needs, they are not going to be successful and they’re going to find themselves back where they are.”
The city’s partnership with Indwell offers much hope moving forward, especially with the imminent opening of The Station on Queen Street which will offer 40-plus apartment units.
“With the new Indwell build coming and opening soon,” points out Zielinski, “there is a lot of hope these individuals are going to be strongly considered but we have a big list of people who are looking for housing. This is one group of campers but this is not it for the city, there are campers all over the place.”
She insists the Victor Dana encampment could have been a template for what safe camping can look like.
“If they had a space like that one, I recognize the neighbours weren’t pleased, but if it was better established.
“If it was supported by our city, instead of our city continuing to say, ‘we don’t think there should be camping within the city.’
“If they looked at making camping OK, there are so many ways we can keep people safe in a spot like this. We could give them support, all their supports could come to them.
“But dispersing them wildly through the city for supports that have to go finding them all over again. If we were to put together a proper space with proper things in place like lighting, regular check-ins, medical support, toileting support because I know that is an issue and access to showers.
“I think the city would be surprised at how well our folks could adapt to living together like that.”
FURTHER DELAY WITH ANIMAL SHELTER
Like an unwanted pet languishing in a cage somewhere, the city’s new animal shelter appears to have sunk further on the priority list.
At the July 17 meeting, Coun. Jim Herbert asked for an update on the shelter to be located just east of the ball complex off Fairview Avenue.
Herbert commented, “Is it starting to be built yet? I was under the impression it was going to be soon.”
Jeff Bray, the city’s director of parks, recreation and property management, advised members of council the tender bids have closed and “they are considerably over budget in terms of what we thought the project was going to cost and the available funding.
“I have been meeting with the architects and we’re looking at items that can be scaled back in terms of cost savings without affecting the functionality and size of the structure.
“Based on that we’ll get a Class A estimate on a definitive construction price, determine what the levels of funding are and if there’s a shortfall it will be presented to council as a capital project in the upcoming cycle.”
A decidedly gloomier outlook than one year ago when then-city engineer Justin Lawrence advised council the city awarded the architectural proposal to a+LiNK Architecture of London, one of whose founding members is St. Thomas resident Ed van der Maarel.
“So, we’re off to the races,” noted Lawrence. “We’ve started the design as of today and we hope to get work heavily into the design for the next six months and we should tender around December or January.”
And he assured members, “Council has authorized the project, we have a budget, we have an architect started and the next thing you will see is the award of the construction contract.”
Keep in mind Sara Teare in April of last year indicated her intention to donate $1 million toward the animal services centre.
At the time she advised this would “help kick off the fundraising goals and bring this project closer to completion.”
If the name is not familiar, in November of 2018, David and Sara Teare contributed $500,000 to gain the naming rights to the 65-acre sports and recreation facility on Burwell Road.
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THE ECHO CHAMBER
In response to our item last week on who will provide policing services at the VW gigafactory, Mark Traichevich has this suggestion.
“Add their own security . . . similar to Bruce Nuclear and have St. Thomas Police augment with necessary assistance, as may be required.
“A separate OPP Tactical Team, solely for VW is totally impractical and unnecessary.
Really.”
As background information, Mark Traichevich was a former member of the St. Thomas Police Service.
In a similar vein, Steve Ogden has this question he would like answered.
“And we’re paying for a private corporation’s security because?”
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And a reminder, I can be heard weekday afternoons as news anchor and reporter on 94.1 myFM in St. Thomas. As always, your comments and input are appreciated.
