A Better Tent City

[ac3r]

I definitely did not mean to word it as if I was implying they were as such...oops! That is the sort of thing I would imagine they would get described as.

[ijmorlan]

I definitely did not mean to word it as if I was implying they were as such...oops! That is the sort of thing I would imagine they would get described as.

Just for the record, I read what you wrote as characterizing Auburn’s reaction, not as being your own view.

The Schneider property is big enough it seems like it might be reasonable to use whatever portion of the site will be developed last. That would give several years during which surely it should be possible to find a permanent solution.

[tomh009]

Simplest solution, though, is to use a property that owned by either the city or the region (or an entity owned by one of those two). And here I am assuming the city of Kitchener, as I don't believe the other cities in the region have any real interest in addressing this problem.

[danbrotherston]

I definitely did not mean to word it as if I was implying they were as such...oops! That is the sort of thing I would imagine they would get described as.

Given what I know of you, I assumed that was not what you meant, I'm sorry if I'm touchy about it...honestly...the letters from Woolwich residents were .... difficult.

[nms]

Off the top of my head, I'm not aware of any municipally owned property in the City of Waterloo that might be suitable for longer term ABTC use. The only large lot that I can think of is around the Memorial Arena. Possibly the WPL Main Branch lower lot since I have yet to see a lot of parking there due to most of the people in the Marsland Tower likely working from home. A corner of the WPL Harper Branch lot might work. I don't think that there would be space at the Albert McCormick lot.

[jeffster]

Not sure why we’re suggesting community centre areas. Any of the cities have vacant lots, which might be privately owned, that the region/cities could purchase. Spend some money, and have a permanent solution. Getting the homeless off of the street and in their own tiny home should be the priority. Many of them have drug and/or mental health issues, but them actually having a home gives them a fighting chance at turning their life around.

The reality tho is that ones with drug issues, might not always properly discard used needles, and it might not be cleaned up in time, so areas where young children might congregate isn’t a great idea. You also need to factor in providing proper facilities for them - a place to shower, go relieve themselves, in a safe location for them.

[Acitta]

Depending on how far off construction is, I might have suggested the old Schneiders site, behind the warehouse.  The warehouse would allow easy access to hydro and water.  I don’t know if it’s big enough, but the old hydro sub-station at Courtland and Borden might work.

Lol...funny you say that because there is a tent encampment right there already. Someone even managed to get it marked as a hotel on Google Maps titled "Homeless encampment #1" that had a few joke reviews about how beautiful and safe it is. You can see it on the map here, though the location marker has been removed: https://www.google.com/maps/@43.4374485,...a=!3m1!1e3

Can't see Auburn allowing this, though. It's now their property and the last thing they'd want are homeless people living around there and stealing things.

The homeless encampment is long gone. It was not on the Schneiders property, but across the tracks on private property there, and the city ordered it removed. As last reported in December, they expected to start construction this year, though that looks doubtful to me. There is supposed to be a public meeting sometime this summer. They only really finished demolition a month or so ago, and there are still piles of concrete that they have not dealt with.

[tomh009]

Not sure why we’re suggesting community centre areas. Any of the cities have vacant lots, which might be privately owned, that the region/cities could purchase. Spend some money, and have a permanent solution.

Right now they are looking for a quick temporary solution until they have a permanent solution in place. The permanent solution will take longer, but they are planning for it.

[tomh009]

A Better Tent City getting coverage in the Globe and Mail:
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/a...eless-now/

[tomh009]

A Better Tent City is moving to a semi-permanent location next to Ardelt Place, near the original location:
https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-...board.html

[ac3r]

Glad to hear that, though I imagine this will be a very noisy place to live. There are no sound walls on that side of Highway 8, only a few trees. Those little homes aren't exactly soundproof.

[tomh009]

Glad to hear that, though I imagine this will be a very noisy place to live. There are no sound walls on that side of Highway 8, only a few trees. Those little homes aren't exactly soundproof.

It's not ideal. But it's still a home for many people, with a roof, heat and electricity.

[plam]

Glad to hear that, though I imagine this will be a very noisy place to live. There are no sound walls on that side of Highway 8, only a few trees. Those little homes aren't exactly soundproof.

It's not ideal. But it's still a home for many people, with a roof, heat and electricity.

It's better than not having a home, but incessant white noise is really stressful and bad for peoples' health. Of course society makes life difficult for people without resources in general.

[tomh009]

Nice coverage of ABTC in the Record. They are now up to 42 cabins.
https://www.therecord.com/opinion/column...oblem.html

It's not for everyone, and it doesn't solve homelessness on its own, but it is making a big difference especially for those that might be otherwise sleeping rough. Kudos to Nadine and everyone else who has made it happen!

[jeffster]

Nice coverage of ABTC in the Record. They are now up to 42 cabins.
https://www.therecord.com/opinion/column...oblem.html

It's not for everyone, and it doesn't solve homelessness on its own, but it is making a big difference especially for those that might be otherwise sleeping rough. Kudos to Nadine and everyone else who has made it happen!

Weird, I have a sub but I can't reach that page, it says it was moved. I did find it here:

https://www.therecord.com/opinion/column...oblem.html