London politicians restrict where homeless people can camp

City politicians passed new rules Tuesday for where homeless people can pitch a tent, but not before a marathon debate about restrictions that couldimpact the current 120 people and 15 pets living in camps in London.

The three-hour discussion included debates over amendments and amendments to amendments, before councillors ultimately voted to pass the community encampment response plan.

"London, like many other cities in Canada, is facing a health and homelessness crisis. There are many encampments in our city and there continues to be a critical need for affordable housing in our community,"ChantelleMcDonald, the director of services at outreach group London Caresand one of the authors of the encampment strategy, told a city committee Tuesday night.

The plan is supposed to help officials manage encampments anytime one or more people who have nowhere else to go pitch a tent or create a shelter on public or private property.

Tuesday's report, is part of the city's larger response to homelessness andincludes guidelines for where encampments cannot be set up, how and when they are taken down by officials, and what health and safety and other supports they require.

The ultimate aim of the plan is to get people living on the streetinside where there are supports and resources. It also outlines the role of outreach teams in performing wellness checks at encampments, and providing support and essential items as needed.

The rules

• Not within 100 metres from playgrounds, water parks, spray pads, and sports fields.
• Not within 150 metres fromelementary schools and child daycares.
• Not within 100 metres of any private residential property line with a "habitable dwelling".

Councillors went back and forth on distance requirements over the course of the meeting. The original report suggested that encampments not be located on or within 50 metres of an elementary school, child daycare centre, playground, pool, water park, or spray pad.

Encampments were also not to be located on or within five metres of sports fields.Committee members ultimately voted 10-5 to increase to 100 metres the distance encampments should be from playgrounds, water parks, spray pads, and sports fields.

With that vote, a restriction that encampments not be "within 10 metres of any private property line" was also revised to read "within 100 metres of any private residential property line with a habitable dwelling as per the Building Code."

In a separate vote, councillors endorsed 11-4 an amendment to the distance requirement for elementary schools and child daycares, raising it from 50 metres to 150 metres.

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Rayanna St John tells CBC London Morning's Andrew Brown that while the homeless colony at Watson Street Park might look nicer than most, assault, robbery and fire are constant threats.

"We could put ourselves in a situation, especially with the parks, where we're basically not really allowing encampments in very many places," said Mayor Josh Morgan."What is the consequence of that? We're basically creating other no-go areas, and that means there's going to be other areas where people are going to go."

Morgan worried that would potentially resultin encampments that are much larger and more unmanageable.

Risks and response

The approved plan includes guidelines for what health and safety teams visiting encampments should assess for risks, including fires, declining health, acts of violence, human trafficking, and disruptions to pedestrian, bike, or motor vehicle traffic.

Kevin Dickens, deputy city manager of social and health development, said teams thatfind people living in encampments that aren't allowed notify them that they have to leave, and assist them in packing up their belongings.

If an encampment is deemed high-risk, a rapid forced closure would be carried out by the co-ordinated informed response team within 24 hours.

The committee recommendation will go before full council on June 25.