Winnipeg resident voices concern over safety due to homeless encampment in Fort Rouge Park
Poverty, homelessness and mental health issues all need to be addressed, according to some residents
A homeless encampment by the riverbank in Fort Rouge Park has a resident in the area voicing concerns over safety in the neighbourhood.
Danelle Hueging, who has lived in the the River Avenue-Osborne neighbourhood for 12 years, says she's witnessed incidents of break-ins, vandalism and theft, and that her neighbours have too.
"Overall, this is part of a bigger problem. It's so much more than just safety. I think we've got poverty issues, homelessness, access to resources, addiction and mental health. I don't even know where to begin actually. It's overwhelming."
Hueging said her car and home have been broken into and that when things are stolen, the first place she expects to find them is in the encampment. However, she said it's a dangerous area because of the substance abuse and mental wellness issues.
She said her neighbours are also concerned. "We've woken up with people on our steps, and just sleeping or looking in windows and it doesn't feel safe. It feels very threatening in the area."
Hueging's neighbour, Lisa Hargrave agreed. She said she's noticed people who are drunk or on hard drugs in the neighbourhood.
However, she thinks the issues are connected to the neighbourhood overall. "We also have some lower income housing around us and I know there's some been some gang activity in the neighbourhood that make us feel uncomfortable."
Just last Wednesday, Tammy Bateman, who was in her 30s, died after being struck by Winnipeg police driving through the park to take someone back to the encampment.
Hueging said that the night of the incident, she heard a man hollering in the park, and then the fire paramedics showed up, followed by police cars.
This area is supposed to be family-friendly, she said.
"Hopefully we can immediately address some of the safety concerns," she said, noting there should be more resources for people who need help and that lighting could be improved and other measures could be taken.
She said she's addressed some of these issues with Coun. Sherri Rollins, who represents Fort Rouge East Fort Garry.
Rollins said she's working on dealing with the encampment and housing situations.
"Residents contact my office every single day about encampments, their concerns, the impacts that they have experienced and no doubt for the last six years that has been a very key part of the casework, " Rollins said.
"There is a national housing strategy and we are participating in a $25 million project with the federal government and provincial government," she said.
Jamil Mahmood from the Main Street Project, which helps vulnerable residents, echoes Rollins' sentiment that housing is needed.
"We need housing and unless there is a commitment and investment to build enough housing we can't take a firmer approach," he said.
No one would choose to live in encampments if there were safer places to live, he said.
"We need to build harm reduction into housing and have those options. We just don't have enough variety of housing to meet people's needs, until we build that we won't see an end to homelessness."
The City of Winnipeg said it employs a human rights-based approach to reports of encampments on public property.
According to the city, whenever possible, their staff will try to put residents of encampments in touch with available shelter resources. They also said staff will only assess whether an encampment should be vacated if there's an immediate risk to public or personal safety.
Meanwhile, residents of Fort Rouge like Hueging say they need concrete solutions.
"I think that we need to explore better options for this," Hueging said. "Maybe sanctioned encampments, more safe housing, maybe curfews in the park, especially parks that are frequented by children."
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