North Bay orders tent city to come down, leaving some wondering where to find 'safe space'

For nearly two weeks, about 30 people have been huddled outside North Bay's city hall, in protest of the region's homelessness and housing issues.

But they have since been ordered to pack up their tents and remove them. And that has many wondering about finding a 'safe space' in which to live.

Shane Moyer is a homeless and housing advocate in the region, and has been experiencing homelessness, on and off, for the past 10 years. He says this is the second tent city that has been set up to attract the attention of city leaders about the struggles people have with finding what he calls "sanctuary."

"[City leaders] are not asking the people themselves as to exactly what they want to meet their needs," he said. "They're sitting behind the desk, but they're actually not doing much for the people as to meeting their needs."

Moyer says he wants city leaders to know that people experiencing homelessness want "a safe place where they can lay their head and not have to worry about being kicked in the cold."

He says he wants to be on a housing advisory board, where he can ensure "these people's needs are being met."

Some people experiencing homelessness are also dealing with mental health and addictions issues, he said.

"We can't address those mental health and addiction issues unless we can get them in a safe, warm place of their own. Where they can have their own sanctuary, so that we can deal with the mental health and injection issues better."

Moyer noted the current tent city residents are packing up and will move on "peacefully."

"But we still have a lot of issues that need to be brought to the table."

Moyer estimates roughly 1,000 people are experiencing homelessness in the North Bay area right now, and there's not enough affordable housing for everybody.

"As well, [some] landlords are not keeping their units up to liveable standards either."

The latest federal housing count says the number of people experiencing homelessness in the North Bay-Nipissing area is 293.

Moyer says there is another problem that keeps cropping up as well. Sometimes a prospective tenant will pay for a month's rent for a room, but then, "gets kicked out the next day," leaving them without money or a place to live.

"I really don't want to be set up in a room where I'm going to be kicked out the next day. That's happened to me numerous times. So I don't know what they're going to do. I want an apartment, I want my own sanctuary, I want a safe place to be. Living in downtown in a room ... where I can be kicked out the next day or a week later, after my room's paid for, is not an option for me."

The city of North Bay declined an interview. However, in a release earlier today, the city says it's been working with social services and other community agencies for the past week or so to inform those at the encampment of alternate shelter options available to them. Officials say an outreach team is working to connect people to housing and support services.