Furey creates task force to address homelessness, as tent city wakes up to snow

The Newfoundland and Labrador government has announced a new task force onhomelessness, amid complaints the province is not doing enough to halt a crisis that includes a tent encampment in a prominent St. John's park.

Premier Andrew Furey, at a news conference Thursday afternoon to announce the task force, said it will have provincial and municipal government representation, and include community groups.

"There was unanimous recognition that there is no easy, quick solution to any of the complicated problems that exist. But the only path forward is in working together," he said.

The announcement comes after almost two months of people sleeping in tents outside Confederation Buildingand relocatingto the Colonial Building in downtown St. John's.Furey said the task force will also addressacute issues within the encampment.

Opposition leader Tony Wakeham says action should have been taken three months ago. While the short-term solution would be to get everyone indoors, he said, long-term solutions are needed.

"What we should be doing is individually meeting with the people that are there in the tent city and seeing if we can find accommodations that works for them individually," he said.

"[A] task force may sound like a great idea because it sounds like they're doing something. If they put all this effort in, as they describe, why do we stand here today and not be able to give anybody a solution?"

Wakeham said people living in tents want the same things as any other person:a place to sleep, a place to cook a meal, and a place to use the bathroom.

NDP Leader Jim Dinn said it doesn't take a task force to find out what the problems are, justtalking to the people living in the camp.

"It doesn't take a whole lot to talk to people and find out what the issues are that could have been done. I've done it, and they're pretty articulate in outlining their concerns."

"We just need the solutions and the willpower to implement them," he said.

At the news conference, Paul Davis, executive director of the Gathering Place, a St. John's organization that helps people struggling with homelessness, said there were three vacant beds in the facility last night. ButDinn said there are valid reasons for peopleat the camp to forgo beds at the available facilities.

"Many of them fear for their safety and their own recovery from addictions and mental health by going into some of the shelters."

Some residents of the tent encampment sought shelter ahead of Wednesday's snowfall warning, but about 10 people stayed there overnight.

Sleeping in the snow

At eighto'clock Wednesday morning, Laurel Huget,a volunteer with Tent City For Change a group of volunteers supporting people living in the encampment was handing out coffee and cigarettes to anyone who stayed.

"A bunch of folks stayed in the hot tents, like, all bundled up together," she said. "They had the propane stove going and they seemed reasonably warm, in fairly good spirits. We brought some cigarettes down. People were pleased."

And though the storm was less severe than forecast onthe Avalon Peninsula, the night still brought blustery wind and blowing snow.

Tents, burnt-ut fire pits, seating areasand items left outside were all covered in snow Wednesday morning.

Tables had been knocked over in the wind, and clothes and towels hung over the fence were frozen.

WATCH | Some Bannerman Park tent encampment residents feel the first real wrath of winter, while supporters blast the city for bathroom closures:

Some tent encampment residents hunker down during fierce winter conditions at Bannerman Park

10 months ago

Duration 2:43

While some people sought refuge at emergency shelters ahead of howling winds and blowing snow, about 10 people stayed put at the tent city in Bannerman Park in St. Johns. Laura Huguet, who says she is a supporter of the people living in the tents, speaks to St. Johns Morning Show reporter Darrell Roberts about how some people are still fuming about the city-run washrooms in the park being closed permanently.

Compounded with the weather, the encampment saw another setback with the closure of the public bathroom at Bannerman Park on Wednesday.

The bathrooms are the only accessible facilities near the encampment and had been open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.daily, but the City of St. John's announced Wednesday they'd be closed until further notice.

Huget said her reaction was one of "white hot rage."

"We showed up two days ago, we plunked a toilet and chains on city hall property and asked the mayor to move the 12-hour window to a 24-window and for the bathroom openings. And then he just shut them down completely."

The City of St. John's cited vandalism and staff safety as reasons for the closure, but Huget said she has worked in shelters in the past and has cleaned up areas with vandalism and drug use.

"We're all well equipped to do so and [we're] dealing with those things," she said. All that's needed is some training and protective equipment, she said.

"It's perfectly safe. It's perfectly reasonable. I wholeheartedly support workers, our right to refuse unsafe work. But it's not unsafe work if you are well equipped. And if those workers couldn't do it, you can contract that out. You could probably ask us to do it. We probably would have done it too."

She said useable bathrooms are a key way in maintaining dignity for people living in the area.

"We're furious," she said.

St. John's Mayor Danny Breen said the city is looking at options for alternative bathroom options. Wakeham suggested providing security or more frequent bathroom cleaning, while Dinn said the Colonial Building could be staffed for people to use the facilities there.

Wakeham said that if there needs to be security or more frequent cleaning of the bathrooms for them to stay open, that's the necessary steps.

Dinn said that the Colonial Building could be staffed and used.

Huget saidBreen hasn't been down to talk with the camp's residents or supporters, nor have any of the city councillors. If they had, she said, they would see volunteers are already dealing with dump runs,including bringing in sharps containers for safe needle disposal.

Until there is shelter for all of the camp's residents, said Huget, her group will be supporting them.

"Folks are camping here because it's a survival need and they're taking care of each other," she said. "It's a community, but ultimately it's a protest, it's a political movement and resident protesters are asking for safe, affordable, accessible housing for all."

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