Six months in, Kitchener's Better Tent City settles into a routine

Nadine Green is living simply these days. Her small cabin has just enough room for a few pieces of furniture — a bed, television, dresser and couch — but Green says she has everything she needs.

"I get the best sleep here," Green told CBC News on a chilly October afternoon. 

Green is the site coordinator and jack-of-all-trades at A Better Tent City, a small community made up of tents and cabins that sprang up at Kitchener's Lot 42 in the wake of the pandemic.

The idea is to give people facing homelessness a small but safe space to call their own. Plans for the community had been in the works before COVID-19 hit, but became all the more urgent this spring.

A willing landlord, Ron Doyle, offered up a property for the purpose, and the first few residents moved in shortly afterward in April and May. 

Green was among them.

"I just want to show the guys that I'm living their life," said Green. 

"My house is probably a little bit bigger than theirs, but I'm still here in a tiny home with them, I'm on the journey with them."

The community has now grown to about 30 to 40 people, although numbers can shift day to day. Some arrive as part of a couple or with a pet animal in tow, both of which can be problems in more traditional-style shelters.

Green said day-to-day life has settled into a comfortable routine. She manages donations, assigns chores, and settles any fights that crop up. As with any communal living situation, there are personality clashes, but she said people are generally happy to be there.

"It helps for you when you have your own privacy, regardless if you're homeless or not," she said. "People still need their privacy."

'We both love it'

Laura Waboose and Mike Tughan met and started dating earlier this year when they were both living on the street. They say Green took them under her wing and brought them to Lot 42, where they've been living together for about six months.

"I don't think we'd still be together if it wasn't for Lot 42, because it's pretty hard on the streets," Tughan told CBC News.

Waboose said having a safe place to keep their things has also made a big difference.

There was a time when they could only keep whatever they could carry in a backpack. Now, Waboose said they each have about a week's worth of clothes, and can do laundry and shower in the shared facilities.

This was always difficult for someone who is homeless, she said, but can be important to self-image and moving forward.

"You never know when you're just going to run into that lucky someone, and find a job or some kind of opportunity," said Waboose.

"[You] just want to be ready for whatever it may be that comes up."

The pair say they're now looking to get an apartment outside of Lot 42, but in the meantime, their cabin is safe and comfortable.

"It's warm and it's cozy, and we both love it," said Waboose.

Ready for winter

As the cooler months roll in, volunteer Jeff Wilmer says the community is ready. Nearly all of the cabins have been insulated and outfitted with heaters, and the indoor tenting space also has access to heat, he said.

And although the COVID-19 pandemic spurred the project into an earlier start date, so far, he says, they are not aware of anyone in the community who has tested positive for the coronavirus. 

Willmer, who helped organize the Lot 42 community, admits it isn't perfect. There are fights and conflicts, and the abundance of household donations also means that clutter has been an issue.

Still, he thinks the experience of the past six months shows that the idea of a "better" tent city is one that can work.

"It provides housing in a very affordable manner, and that helps stabilize people's lives," he said. "I'm optimistic that other communities will see and want to do something similar."

'Solution for homelessness is housing'

The City of Kitchener says it will allow the community to operate until July of 2021, but a spokesperson did not comment about what may happen after that.

For now, Willmer said he hopes local officials move quickly in the coming year to increase the region's supply of supportive and affordable housing. 

"Because the solution for homelessness is housing, we need to get on with it," he said. 

"This is a country that can afford it if we make it a priority .... I just don't know that there's enough urgency behind making it happen."