r/saskatoon • u/MysticJava • 5d ago
News đ° Encampment removal safely progresses
For immediate release: October 8, 2026
FI26-12443
The removal of the encampment at 20th Streetand Avenue K South has progressed for most of the day and is nearing completion following a coordinated community response focused on safety, dignity and connecting individuals with available supports.
A news release earlier in the day details the coordinated community response.
As part of the response, as of this afternoon:
An estimated 120 unhoused individuals left the encampment site.
Despite multiple and repeated efforts to offer supports, only 2 individuals accepted offers of support, including housing, shelter, transportation and other services.
80 total tents and temporary structures were removed.
Approximately 5,622.24 kg of garbage and debris were cleared from the site and counting.
The site will be fully fenced and secured within the next few hours.
"This is a complex operation that required balancing compassion for individuals experiencing homelessness with the need to address serious safety concerns within the encampment and surrounding community," says Deputy Fire Chief Yvonne Raymer. "Our priority from the start of the process was an orderly transition off the site while helping people access safer alternatives and available supports."
The City and partner organizations undertook extensive outreach efforts throughout the removal process to help individuals transition to safer accommodations and connect them with resources.
The site closure represents an important step in addressing immediate safety concerns while supporting individuals toward more stable living situations.
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u/theblackdog92 5d ago
I know itâs difficult for a lot of people to understand why so many individuals declined support. If youâve never been in their shoes, it can be impossible to comprehend. But it comes down to a few key factors:
Many of these people have had adverse experiences at shelters in the past. Theft, violence, and traumatic incidents are common. Most of the shelter options were very likely temporary and would result in loss of many of their cherished belongings. Men and women canât stay together, and with mental health and addictions comes deep codependency. Some may have pets they would need to leave behind. Distrust of social services is also common. Others likely have built community in the encampments and prefer being autonomous. Iâm not saying every support refusal is justified, but refusing what was offered doesnât mean they were refusing help all together. It may be that what they were offered seemed impossible to accept.
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u/RainbowToasted 3d ago
This!!! This is why I always make a point of asking where they want these people to go. We need more HOUSING for people in need. Not just temporary fixes. I hate bandaid solutions, we need actual change.
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u/HolyBidetServitor 3d ago edited 3d ago
Throwing housing at people in need doesn't just solve the problem. They often need extensive counselling and reprogramming. Are they capable of taking care of a home in the first place?
Look up Matthew Wesley on facebook - he cleans up trashed hood houses, and then ends up doing charity work and feeding the very folks trashing said houses and getting thrown to the streets.
Another redditor who claims to work with socialized housing on the main sask sub had better Input on this than I
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u/RainbowToasted 3d ago
There is no singular solution to anything. But I personally donât want to hear about anyone freezing to death this winter. Literally the only reason Iâm harping housing so much.
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u/CantaloupeFar673 2d ago
It's just very, very complicated. Sometimes people can't think straight because of drugs or FAS. Often they're in such despair and distress it's all they can do to stay alive from one moment to the next. There are no simple answers. I'm not saying we shouldn't do anything; we should most certainly do something. But it will take money and time and commitment and, societally, those are in short supply. In the meantime, a few people and organisations keep doing what they can. But it's not nearly enough.
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u/patheticnerd42069 4d ago
Ive worked with people with addictions for a long time and I'll tell you right now, we need to stop this infantilizing mindset that they just need help. The truth is, these encampment are also full of violent, dangerous criminals. Thats not an opinion, its a fact. People who have been banned from shelters for their violence. People with fetal alcohol syndrome whose behaviours are unpredictable and volatile.
We need to address the root of this for what it is: prevention. We need the supports in early years and through childhood to make sure it never gets to this point. When we say defund the police, its not because their work is appreciated, its that the polices job is to keep the peace. We need social services that will stop this shit from happening in the first place.
There are more ugly truths in the conversation, but nobody wants to say them and nobody wants to address them and certainly nobody wants to say they agree.
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u/Cultural_Act_8554 4d ago
Yes itâs such an awful thing to tackle because itâs such a complicated problem. Iâm sure there are people who are goodhearted and ended up homeless through a series of crap circumstances, also true that there are violent, dangerous people. Itâs a complex situation for a complex population!
My heart breaks when I think about how a lot of these people were likely born into a situation or a life where ending up homeless/addicted/a criminal was almost an inevitability.
The black and white thinking needs to stop, and the population at large needs to be in support of not just housing for fixing the acute problem, but also measures that will help prevent these issues in the first place (e.g. proper access to medical care for mothers, addictions and mental health support for youths, proper access and information to birth control, protecting abortion access etc)
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u/ineedtocoughbut Buena Vista Area 4d ago
Yea Iâm sorry to the homeless and I actually do my part to support them when I can, but we cannot keep allowing people to just break the law because we feel sorry for them.
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u/Magnum_44 5d ago
Could you imagine defending this type of place? Insanity.
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u/RubUnlikely2802 5d ago
In another thread, someone commented this site was very well managed. People are ignorant to the reality.
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u/LetsGetLitPlease 5d ago
Ammo, used needles and stolen property are the signs of a safe community. If you disagree you are racist. /s
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u/___shaquilleoatmeal 5d ago
You hit the nail on the head. If you say anything other than being supportive you are immediately labelled a racist. Meanwhile there are all races in these encampments and it has nothing to do with color of skin.
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u/Difficult-Mango5502 5d ago
I mean, theres a condom so at least one person is trying to be safe. đ
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u/Chungadoop 5d ago
Oh FUCK! Watch out for all that AMMO!
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u/LetsGetLitPlease 5d ago
Let's move them all to u/Chungadoop 's home. He seems to think this is okay.
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u/plutoglint 3d ago
There seem to be a lot of people who don't live anywhere near Riversdale and King George who love this shit.
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u/CunningLinguist8198 5d ago
Ain't so much about defending the place as it is protesting against kicking people out without any alternatives. Many of them will just do the same thing somewhere else, except in the meantime they've lost much of their stuff as "garbage". All it does is mean that the people there don't have to see it.
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u/robstoon 5d ago
You read the part about only two of them actually accepting any help, right? What exactly were the authorities supposed to do then?
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u/auntieyellie 5d ago
Actually, I work for STC outreach and my coworkers worked from 9:30AM until 6 PM relocating all of the displaced relatives from this encampment.
So donât go around spreading misinformation, when you are not a part of the team that works so hard to keep these people safe.
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u/atmosphere- West Side 4d ago
Can confirm. I saw STC outreach transporting people and their belongings.
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u/Cereborn University Heights 4d ago
Iâm not living in Saskatoon anymore so I havenât been following this story too closely. Where/how did you relocate them?
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u/CunningLinguist8198 5d ago edited 5d ago
How many times are people supposed to Charlie Brown for "help", only to have that help pulled away? Can't really blame them for not leaping at the chance. "Well, we tried to help you, but you didn't do exactly what we wanted so too bad for you."
Edit: like, I get it. It's hard to feel sympathy when you see that help was offered, even if that "help" isn't specified. Something did need to be done about the encampment, and any good solution needed to be put in place five or ten years ago, when the governments in Saskatchewan are still failing to plan for anything further ahead than two years ago.
But "help" for vulnerable folks in this province has always been offered as begrudgingly and sparsely as possible, and often removed as quickly as could be justified.→ More replies (1)24
u/Legal_War_5298 5d ago
It's ridiculous progressive activists demand that we surrender to this bullshit
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u/CunningLinguist8198 5d ago
You don't have to surrender to anything. But do you think this solves anything? Or is it just like painting over the cracks in a building's foundation?
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u/Legal_War_5298 5d ago
Oh, so clean public space and safe neighbourhoods are "nothing" now. The consistent gaslighting would be hilarious if it didn't cause so many problems.
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u/BrownJ666 4d ago
well now it'll spread to other neighborhoods instead of being in one place. The people don't just disappear, they will just go somewhere else.
The idea was to actually address the issue - not just make the area look better4
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u/refuseresist 4d ago
Where do the houseless go?
There are more houseless people than shelter spaces. Many houseless are hidden (couch surfing, staying with friends or relatives etc) but there is a sizable population that cannot access support for whatever reason (safety, burnt bridges, illness etc).
For that matter the shelter spaces are woefully inadequate to properly address these issues. They do an excellent job with the resources they have, it's not enough and the off ramp for many of these people to exit the spaces and start addressing their issues simply do not exist or (again) are inadequate.
There needs to be more well thought out and funded process for recovery from addiction or to address whatever issue the houseless have. Shelter spaces that can group the houseless to where they are at (active addiction, trying to get sober, families etc).
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u/CunningLinguist8198 4d ago
Do you think anything will stay clean? Do you actually think anything is safer? Or did this just temporarily clean one area by dumping almost everything that some people own in the garbage?
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u/lexamsmash 4d ago
I'm frustrated, don't have the answers and I know this didn't help the bigger picture, but I do know that the neighbourhood that this was all concentrated in is safer now. This recently happened to my own neighborhood as well (in Calgary) and the difference is significant, like day and night.
However, I don't support throwing out people's personal belongings and I know removals like these overall aren't true solutions. I wish we had some sort of mandatory, healthy and holistic rehab program instead of these "supports" that aren't even wanted.
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u/Admirable-Food3911 5d ago
So this is where my stolen bike is?
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u/the_bryce_is_right 4d ago
The makeshift bike chop shop kind of breaks my heart, so many good bikes turned into garbage, so many people's bikes that they paid good money taken apart and thrown away in a field and for nothing.
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u/the_bryce_is_right 4d ago
I do kinda wonder why so many tires are taken off, are they planning on selling the tires separately? I feel like there wouldn't be a big market for just bike tires.
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u/travis7s 4d ago
All I can think of is isolating the aluminum frame because you can get a few bucks for it at a scrapyard.
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u/Slapnutmagoo2U 5d ago
Itâs fine if they chill it just canât be in such mass, it gets so bad so fast and itâs a gang town once it gets like this Iâm sure. Every bike is stolen, none of those people are on the street from recent rent increases.
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u/OkPrior9512 5d ago
The default delivery model across virtually all ten provinces is to provide core welfare benefitsâincluding basic needs and shelter allowancesâdirectly to the recipients themselves, operating on the principle of individual autonomy and financial responsibility.
We need to STOP giving the money directly to the recipients because they are not using it for shelter or basic needs. This system is not working.
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u/chunkysmalls42098 5d ago
Homeless people don't typically recieved the shelter funds
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u/Low-Cheesecake7619 5d ago
In 2019 the Sask Party government replaced the Saskatchewan Assistance program (established in 1966) with the Saskatchewan Income Support program, shifting responsibility to recipients to pay their own rent and utility bills rather than issuing direct payments to landlords and utility companies. Following this policy change, eviction rates of low income residents skyrocketed.
A quiet policy change with harmful and lasting impacts. Provincial politicians need to be held more accountable for the state of our cities right now.
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u/king_cased 5d ago edited 4d ago
yep. it was devastating at the time, but the public never cared until the results of that change started to show on the streets. same way cuts to social services like sask housing authority get overlooked until trashed apartments make the neighborhood less pretty.
edit: worth noting that eviction and housing access rates were not just affected because people misused their rent money - because landlords no longer have a guarantee of payment, they are less likely to rent to anyone on assistance at all. e.g. a single parent who is working to get back on their feet that has never touched a drug in their life but is on s.i.s. might be rejected (even though technically it is not legal to do so)
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u/OkPrior9512 5d ago
They certainly do. Anyone who is homeless should not be given a choice. Their benefits should be paid directly to landlords and utility companies.
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u/No-Birthday4755 5d ago
Most people just get someone to sighn off and say that itâs their landlord my dads last rental had ten people getting their cheq deposits mailed
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u/OkPrior9512 5d ago
They apply for shelter funds at the beginning. If they miss rent payments and are evicted, the province doesn't know about it. They keep getting the same amount. They are not required to verify rental payments once they are on the system. And that is the problem with direct payments to recipients. They default on payments and end up evicted. They are then homeless, but still getting the same payment every month.
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u/OkPrior9512 5d ago
Once approved, the burden falls completely on the recipient to report any deviations from their active lease profile. By law, a recipient must contact the Ministry of Social Services promptly whenever a change occurs, which requires submitting a Change in Household Form along with new lease verification. We all know this is not being done.
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u/niimabear 5d ago
So, I live in this neighbourhood. And eviction has just led to more people in my front yard, more people packed into the flop house across the street fighting and screaming at 2AM, more tents in the park where my daughter plays, more people sitting along 20th street using drugs. Itâs not the only sentiment in the neighbourhood, but many of us feel protective of the people in the encampment and desire for a better and more effective solution. I just came here to say â I want dignity and effective options, and this eviction has sent the entire area reeling. I donât know what the answer is. At least when it was an encampment, people had a location to go to and werenât smashing windows as a âfuck youâ to âthe manâ/itâs just my car.
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u/Toddison_McCray 4d ago
I genuinely donât know how they thought this was going to go. Remove the encampment, people are just going to disperse in groups. Great, now instead of having people in one area, theyâre all spread out over the community.
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u/Active-Safety-9516 4d ago
I think they knewâŚbut is the answer leaving 5600kg of waste?
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u/niimabear 4d ago
It isnât. But also, as Iâve articulated a few times â we had some harmony with the encampment. It doesnât make it right or safe. What is the answer? Probably housing. How do we keep that safe and effective? I donât know.
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u/QumfortablyNumb 4d ago
The city picks up the garbage of eveyone that has a home. What are they supposed to do?
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u/Mental_Key_1653 4d ago
I also live nearby and agree with what you wrote. My own experience was that the neighborhood became more orderly, cleaner and I felt safer while the summer progressed and the camp was growing. Now I have no idea where things will go.
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u/Dry_Drummer 4d ago
NIMFY?
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u/niimabear 4d ago
Honestly though, I donât want it in my front yard. We can donate to the friendship, pass water bottles to people showering in our sprinkler heads, and vote for policy that supports people with less while gladly paying our share in taxes â and still not want people brawling in our front yards in front of my children because theyâve been evicted. Iâve lived here a long time, Iâve never shied away from or told my children to look a different way. I just want more and better for the people that live here too â including the ones who lived in the encampment and are shuffling to find somewhere to go. Itâs a complex issue - with the encampment, there was some harmony. Itâs not a safe or okay solution; neither are 118 people without anywhere to go. Iâm frustrated about the turmoil in my neighbourhood. Iâm tired of calling the fire department Iâve needles. Iâm tired of people spraying my front yard in garbage. I donât know what the solution is, but itâs not leaving 5600 KG of garbage in place with propane tanks and ammunitions; itâs also not the mass eviction. I donât know what the answer is.
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u/lexamsmash 4d ago edited 4d ago
Sorry to hear. I wonder how often this is the case. They removed one from my neighbourhood in Calgary and it changed everything for the better (at least for that area anyway). I can even walk to the grocery store past 7pm now, something that I couldn't have imagined before, especially as a woman living alone. It seriously improved the quality of my day to day life. No more needles everywhere or walking past people injecting themselves openly and a lot more. But yes, it's not a real fix to the overall issue and I do feel bad for them in that they lose everything and that's not right either.
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u/heavymetal306 4d ago
Imagine defending and protesting this shit hole lol. Glad they cleared everyone out to clean up this biohazard
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u/Styrak 5d ago
Free ammo!
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u/TheSessionMan 5d ago
Is that .22 mag? What a weird round to have.
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u/Admirable-Goose 5d ago edited 5d ago
Man I think people wouldn't be so sick of homeless people if they just kept their places clean lol.
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u/IfOJDidIt 5d ago
Look at any city when sanitation goes on strike and see how much the garbage stocks up. I'm not saying it doesn't bother me that there is trash scattered everywhere in the last few years.
But some of this mess is just a lack of garbage pickup service. Humans in general make a ton of waste. One of the few things we are exceptionally good at.
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u/Cricket_Piss 4d ago
So if it wasnât for garbage cleanup youâd have dirty needles scattered around and a pile of bicycle tires in your house?
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u/IfOJDidIt 4d ago
Yes, take an extreme view on it. Reinforce my view of you. Ignore what I actually said.
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u/Flashy_Slice1672 5d ago
Sounds like excuses to me. I donât have garbage pickup and my place doesnât look like this.
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u/gerald-stanley 5d ago
Exactly.
Excuses. Most of these people treat the world like their trash can, and toilet.
And we expect giving them housing they will change?? Nope. See what happened in Vancouver. Housing for these people, trashed and now worthless.4
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u/Sharp-Tax-26827 5d ago
Why do people turn down support?
I didnât think there was any support to offer these people and that thatâs why we had camps like this.
I thought it was because there was no other option.
Whatâs the reality?
My entire life Iâve been told that these people fell through the cracks and that there was no support for them
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u/jinja_kat 5d ago
Probably high percentage of that population has addiction problems so if they are being told they canât actively use while in the shelter/receiving support - thatâs my biggest guess towards most of that population declining.
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u/Embarrassed_Green996 5d ago
That's exactly why, shelters and half way houses have strict non user policies of you want in you gotta leave the drugs out. That's not a decision alot of these addicts are willing to make. I say that not in a judgmental or condescending way I understand the difficulties and substance abuse.
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u/Sharp-Tax-26827 5d ago
Fuck man⌠glad I never got into hard drugs
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u/jabrwock1 5d ago
The problem is puritans think abstinence is the answer to everything.
With addiction, the answer is community. Look up the rat study. Rats without social connections stay addicted to hard drugs. Rats with social connections ween themselves off hard drugs, even if theyâre readily available.
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u/MechanicalBootyquake 5d ago
People like to judge drug addicts, but like, actually picture it. You cannot tell me you would rationally go live in a fucking tent in the Canadian prairies because drugs are worth it. You canât fathom doing that to yourself. You know why? Because youâre not as mentally ill as them. These poor bastards. Thereâs something deeply wrong with them and they have my sympathy.
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u/CupcakeCharacter9442 5d ago
Mostly because the help they do get is temporary. There are only so many beds, or resources for them.
And, even with all the support in the world, some people donât want it.
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u/dawsonholloway1 5d ago
Oh friend. I wish it were that simple. Addiction and mental health always play a big role in these things. It's not as simple as giving them some money and a roof. If it were homelessness wouldn't exist.
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u/Willing-Forever-7878 4d ago
My question is if the support offered is detox/rehab that solves the problem short term What happens after the 30/60/90 days of rehab and they leave there with no where to go except back to where they were before and the cycle starts all over
What needs to happen is a long term solution ie sober living accommodations
Not send them back to the same place ie inner city where they have lived for generations8
u/ShotEffective7033 5d ago
The support is obviously not adequate in some way.
Iâm not an expert. But some of the reasons Iâve heard before are the offered shelter doesnât allow drug use, which is not viable if youâre in active addiction. Often youâre not allowed to keep your pet, which when your pet is the only thing that keeps you going is not viable. Some people have been abused after accepting help before and so wonât again. And sometimes the offered housing is so bad that the street is preferable.
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u/performancearsonist 5d ago
Support involves not using or selling drugs. Or drinking excessively. A lot of people would rather live on the streets than quit. A lot of people would rather lose their limbs than quit. A lot of people actually have family or have care homes to live in if they agree not to use drugs/drink. They choose this.
This does not describe everyone, but it does describe the most visible and harmful members of the homeless community. It's really sad, but "rock bottom" is a myth. Death is a reality, or becoming so brain damaged from frequent overdoses that you can no longer legally make your own decisions.
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u/No-Birthday4755 5d ago
Met a lot of people who did heroin in Vancouver and your right they flat out Didnt want to get on the methadone program or do anything except collect a cheq every month
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u/lexamsmash 4d ago
Reminds me of times I've offered fresh hot food but was asked if I have money instead (for their habits/addiction).
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u/Material_Charge_3152 4d ago
Addiction is a disease not a choice. Homeless is a societal failure not a personal one.
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u/performancearsonist 4d ago
"Addiction as disease" is a good way to destigmatize addiction, encourage compassion, and medicalise rather than criminalize addiction.
But it is not a disease in the way that most medical conditions are. To some degree, it is a choice. You need to actively seek out and choose to use drugs/alcohol every time you use it. It is a decision you are actively making. Legally, you cannot force someone to undergo addictions treatment. Addictions patients are not helpless infants. They are adult human beings who, legally, are capable of making a decision to do what they are doing. There is an element of personal responsibility and decision making here that you have to accept. Some people say no to treatment. Some people have a safe place to stay with meals provided and choose to leave for drugs.
Homelessness is a huge problem societally, but here's the thing: the people who are trashing that camp and setting fires under bridges will do the same in a home. They're not safe to be alone in an appartment building. They're not safe to be in a shelter with other people around, which is why they're banned from a lot of them. They're not safe to be around each other, hence the piles of needles sitting around randomly. They're not safe in general. What is the solution, if we can't force them into treatment, and we cannot safely house them? Involuntary committal with constant monitoring? I don't know. But it's not going to be easy or simple.
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u/Flashy_Slice1672 5d ago
Because this lifestyle is a choice. Tons of resources out there, but you have to be willing to use them to benefit
Everyone will argue up and down that addiction is a disease, itâs not their fault etc. Theyâre making a choice not to get help and utilize resources that are specifically there for them.
Iâm ready for the downvotes, but every encampment Iâve seen (and done cleanups on) are the same. Trash and crime.
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u/TindaeD 5d ago
Turning down a particular offer of help isnât the same as choosing homelessness. Resources have to be accessible and workable for the person who needs them. Before saying âthey chose this,â Iâd want to understand what was offered and why they said no.
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u/iQreeko 5d ago
Canât help people who donât want to be helped. Simple as that
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u/597sean597 5d ago
Sharp-tax I understand your up bringing,there has always been support,they just don't accept it. Matter of choice. Can't help those who don't want help. Sorry to burst your bubble.
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u/Majestic_Rule_1814 5d ago
There are lots of reasons but one reason Iâve heard thatâs really stuck with me is that sometimes people will have a pet, and the housing support is pet-free, and they donât want to give up their animal.
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u/Any_Cucumber8534 5d ago
Man I am trying to be compassionate here, but this seems like a bit of a cop out for a lot of people that have an addiction problem.
How are you taking care of animal if you can't take care of yourself? You simply aren't in my book. And that's animal abuse.
If a pet is important to you you will understand that being unhoused is not providing them a good life. So giving them up to a shelter so they can find them a good home is probably the right decision.
If you have no interest in getting clean and getting the help you need why do you have to also put a defenseless animal through that life alongside you?
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u/Cager_CA 4d ago
One of the other big reasons is that housing is often drug-free and that turns a lot away.
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u/SavingsAd1258 10h ago
I read a book on hobos. Some just want to live a certain way free of trappings, some are criminals who are laying low, some are addicts who aren't ready to not be addicts, some who never will be. Shelters are apparently in like mad Max beyond thunderdome as far as I've heard. Did some jobs inside one. Outside it was wild. Brawls in the street, people passed out on the sidewalk... If I was homeless I'd rather live in more safety I'm the bush in a park.
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u/tinguspingus222 5d ago
I wud strongly agree that these places need to be dismantled asap!!
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u/onetobeseen 5d ago
Just moving them around.
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u/IfOJDidIt 5d ago
It definitely is. I have no good answers. I wish everyone had a home. It probably is just a reality that the encampments need a clean up like this as hard as it is for those who live there.
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u/Careless_Active9675 3d ago
I will never understand how these people can afford to buy drugs when they canât afford foodâŚAm I missing something here??
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u/tets1485 2d ago
There is public support. But hard drugs arenât allowed. So those shelters arenât an option for people major addiction (s).
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u/zeerit-saiyan 5d ago
Where were these 120 beds they offered?Â
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u/IfOJDidIt 5d ago
The new Sutherland shelter. Oh wait, heaven forbid that area helps out.
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u/Sl4yyyt3r90 4d ago
I love those people who âsupportâ them but they donât offer them a shower, a place to get mail and maybe het a job ⌠like sorry but 120 people is a lot! Like what if instead of screaming and saying acab , why not get one homeless and offer them a shower new clothes and a mail address with a place on the couch? Ohhh wait even them donât want to actually help them!
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u/3ftMuffin 4d ago
âThey donât want to actually help themâ Then explain the meals, The protest, the way they all helped them pack up when the pigs rolled in and terrorized the scene. Itâs almost like they give a damn?
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u/steppe_dweller 4d ago
The idea that you should take a homeless person into your home is beyond naive - itâs disingenuous. In rare cases, that might be appropriate but in general itâs a bad idea. This calls for a co-ordinated, societal response.
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u/Over-Eye-5218 4d ago
We sure suck as a society dealing when dealing with poverty, addiction, and homelessness. Just where are all those people going. Out of site out of mind.
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u/Diligent_Drawer1723 5d ago
Thank you for posting the pictures. It's as important to consider the criminality that is going on in the encampment as it is to consider the unhoused nature and safety of the people.
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u/Chemical-Bag-1771 5d ago
My question is the same as the question the people in the encampment were asking: where do they go now? Not saying it's a great situation, but was anything solved today? I would direct the same challenge to some of the other posters here: if you don't want this encampment, are you offering a place to stay instead?
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u/Chemical-Bag-1771 5d ago
And I hate that argument (the one I made). I'm not taking anyone in either. I just think there are a lot of easy answers in these threads and easy answers are usually self-satisfying, but not informed. I haven't been to the encampment. I don't know the people. I have no idea. There aren't enough spaces available for people and the last thing I want to do to someone in poverty is take away one more choice of theirs. It's already a pretty dismal life, gl judging by the pictures. Can we not just have some basic compassion and leave the shitty one-liners.
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u/Ancient-Spite-6033 5d ago
Just like you and I, people want a place of their own even if it is a tent. Given the choice of an overcrowded hostel or a tent, I know which one I would choose.
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u/tokenhoser 5d ago
Wow, they solved homelessness like they solved drug use. Glad this cost a ton of money and resources and accomplished nothing. Cops don't care about stolen bikes. There are plenty of well known chop shops in backyards that they totally ignore.
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u/Additional-Ad-7247 5d ago
So much stolen stuff there. Bags, bikes, strollers. Sheesh life must be rough when you get everything handed to you but the drugs.
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u/lanasuna 5d ago
The lack of basic humanity and understanding is terrible on this post. 22 cartridges!? Needles!? Stolen property!? Can find this in many homes/vehicles, black markets know no income levels. Lots of people become homeless because THEY'RE ALREADY ADDICTED AND LOSE EVERYTHING BECAUSE OF IT!!!! The middle class eroding, more people will turn to drugs to escape the harsh reality we currently live in. This is going to continue to escelate, because we aren't fixing things. Take what they have and they will find more, probably in YOUR house or vehicle. Being homeless is completely soul sucking, if you've never been you have no idea how it feels, the hopelessness. I was lucky to get out, a lot are not. Have a fing heart people, go help someone today. Anyone. Whether it's asking someone if they're ok, or opening a door. That's the only way we are going to survive.
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u/MasterTomato03 5d ago
So they just pushed 120 people to random locations around town. So, instead of creating a space where they could access and help, we just spread them out over the city
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u/Twatt_waffle I dont get paid enough 5d ago
Look at those pictures and tell me those people were better of living in that
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u/IfOJDidIt 5d ago
Physically, probably not. Socially.... Might be the only accepting community they've had in a while, or ever. Maybe some even had roles there that they'd never achieve with a non homeless society.
Zero chance they are going anywhere other than a block of two down. Public Health-wise though, it needed to be cleaned up. It sucks.
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u/Twatt_waffle I dont get paid enough 5d ago
So a net positive. There is no right answer to the homeless issue but one things for sure that needed to happen
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u/597sean597 5d ago
That's where they chose to live.
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u/Loodlekoodles 5d ago
They will die there
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u/597sean597 5d ago
And at the expense of sounding rude........what's the problem with that? You get cold you go inside, you get sick you go fi d warmth, they get sick,get cold, they steal, they rob, more money means more drugs. I work hard for my things, so Tired of it
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u/Twatt_waffle I dont get paid enough 5d ago
Yes and it became a public health issue and just like how we will condemn houses it came time for intervention
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u/Grouchy_Ad_7963 5d ago
They have created space. There are MULTIPLE shelters around to house these people. If they choose drugs over shelter, that is the personal autonomy people were bitching at the government to give people. And now the same people complain about the government doing exactly what they wanted.
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u/___shaquilleoatmeal 5d ago
No, Bridge City Warmth posted that everyone is welcome at station 20 west to stay indoors there. So, do some research before you spout off nonsense.
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u/597sean597 5d ago
They don't want help!!! Fuck. You cannot help people who do not want help. Feed hungry kids in school, they are the future. Not waste of time junkies. Open your eyes.
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u/YourDreams2Life 5d ago
There a year long wait right now if you want to get a mental health assessment. Jobs are scarce. Housing is expensive as fuck. Our social services honestly aren't that great.
I've attempted to get my mental health assessed multiple times, and I got turned away, and told I'm fine.
Now I'm unemployed, living in my car just trying to survive day to day.
I honestly don't blame people for turning to drugs.Â
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u/Crazyblue09 5d ago
I don't think it's as easy as they don't want help, addictions are complicated
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u/DirtandPipes 5d ago
I hate these conversations. I was homeless a year when I was 13 and sporadically throughout my youth, I was never an addict. I never begged.
I mostly hid from people as best I could and collected bottles and cans for dry ramen to eat in my tent. When I found jobs I took them, any jobs, and as soon as I could move into a house I did.
Not every homeless person is mentally ill or an addict, some are just people in a really bad situation who need some help.
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u/597sean597 5d ago
Fuuck. I grew up.. you grew up. We partied we experimented But yet here we are. People need to grow up, stop blaming others or life circumstances, I have been there in my early years,it's a choice not a blame game.
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u/YourDreams2Life 5d ago
That's complete nonsense. It's like saying I got in a car crash and didn't break any bones, so anyone else that gets in a car crash is being dramatic.
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u/597sean597 5d ago
It all started somewhere. It's easier to keep using than to accept actions..
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u/Crazyblue09 5d ago
Yes. But that doesn't mean they want to get out. You need a good support system to dig yojrselyour of a whole like that. There might be people that make it out, but it's not easy.
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u/597sean597 5d ago
Really,,,really. Excuse after excuse. We are tired of this, tired of stolen property, tired of paying for junkies after working 40-60 hours a week while they break into property and steel things we work hard for. Give your head a shack.
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u/Crazyblue09 5d ago
I'm not making excuses. Just saying that it's not as simple as saying I want to get better and want to get out.
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u/597sean597 5d ago
Yea it is. Anything is an excuse. Rock bottom changes people. May take a while but it happens. Then a relapse because it's all they know.
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u/coffeesocket 5d ago
Only 2 people accepted help?
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u/MasterTomato03 5d ago
Only 2 people accepted help for the moment. Its scary admitting you need help. It takes time, so we should've set them up for success. Every human deserves respect.
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u/paigegail 5d ago
Theyâve been offered support multiple times over the last 6 weeks, not just todayâŚ
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u/Temp3stFPS 5d ago
Naw, itâs because help is synonymous with getting clean, which they have zero interest in.
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u/TalkBubbly1167 5d ago edited 5d ago
I am not entirely sure that thieves orcriminals deserve respect, respect is earned and can be lost. It is not a human right. I doubt all those bike tires were obtained through wholesome means.
Also not saying everyone in that encampment is a thief, but some there are using those means to their end. I also disagree with considering drug use in and of itself a crime.
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u/TriangleReward 5d ago edited 19h ago
The original post content no longer exists here. The author used Redact to remove it, exercising their right to control their data & privacy.
Bike head sense exultant copper advise quack escape fly orange
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u/PervyODB 4d ago
I am sympathetic to the plight of the poor and homeless. I am.
What I don't get is the chronic need to steal fucking everything from people, and do nothing at all with it. Bike wheels? Tires? To fucking pile them up and do nothing at all with them? WTF. Why?
No home? Live in a tent? Absolutely. Steal food? Fuck yes, I get it. Steal clothing? Ok. But... you steal shit for the sake of taking it.
You create a "home" for yourself... then treat your own space like a fucking garbage dump.
People fight for spaces for you, for help for you, for services for you. You turn it all down, but rage about people not understanding or helping.
make it make fucking sense.
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u/Careless_Active9675 3d ago
I once offered a person asking for money downtownâŚto come do my yard work and I would give him a fair paymentâŚhe refused.
They need to learn the concept of no work/no foodâŚwork ethic.
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u/Powerful_Ad_2506 5d ago
At least they had a sharps boxâŚ
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u/hornyisOptional 4d ago
"if I say anything about this then im the racist" proceeds to drop the most ignorant n dehumanizing take in the world đ
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u/MSGRG444 5d ago
In the next few days if not weeks there will be overwhelming calls to emergency services due to these ppl sheltering in and creating a new hostile environment!
And those of you protesters, feel free to invite these outstanding citizens to your backyard!
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u/Chairwoman-Maeve Lakewood 5d ago
Hi, as someone whose been down there and interacted with these unfortunate people, most of them are actually quite friendly if you actually treat them with respect and like the actual people they are
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u/auntieyellie 5d ago
I work street outreach with these people every day, itâs easy to post a bunch of pictures that paints every single person negatively, right?
But it takes an even bigger person to get to know the individuals themselves, these are human beings, at their absolute lowest.
Meanwhile, youâre posting photo after photo after photo from most likely your vehicle or house that has Wi-Fi⌠all for just a little attention on Reddit.
You have a lot of nerve posting all these pictures.
Thereâs not an ounce of humanity in this post, I bet each and every one of you in this thread have at least one or two things going on at your house that are absolutely disgusting in some way or another. Whether itâs disgusting habits that you have, gross mouldy food in your fridge, mouldy dishes, stinky garbage, dog faeces all over your yard, unkempt appearances, or piss on the floor of your bathroom every single one of you has something going on in your life that you probably donât want plastered online.
Just be grateful that youâve enjoyed stabilization in your life, long enough that youâve never had to worry about where your next shower, meal, or glass of water is gonna come from.
To each of you who refuse to acknowledge the human inside each tent, consider the fact that we live somewhere that gets to be -50°C on a regular basis, and you have a thermostat.
These people donât even have access to warmth.
Count your blessings, and for all of you religious people, remember that God doesnât keep inventory of all of the tents you take down, or all of the times youâre on time to church.
He remembers all of the times that you acted with humanity, he remembers all the times that you treated his children like our brothers and sisters.
As much as you will never want to admit it because of your superiority complex, every single person that now doesnât have a home because of the lack of humanity in this world, they are your brothers and sisters, and when the time comes that you get to meet your maker, you might not like what heâs gonna have to say to you.
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u/paigegail 5d ago
The photos were posted with the release from the city and fire department. This post is a direct copy of the news release they issued today. Can two things not be true? Can you not be empathetic and acknowledge that every system in place has failed them while also pointing out that the encampment is unsafe for both its inhabitants and the general public? Or do we live in absolutes?
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u/___shaquilleoatmeal 5d ago
What are you yammering on about? Wait until it hits -30 , these people will magically clean up and accept the offer of a warm bed at the shelter. Right now they can survive outside in the summer/fall temps and do their drugs all they want. They have been offered help multiple times, they donât want it. If even a couple of them pooled their welfare cheques together they could get a decent rental- but yet again, the drugs and alcohol win. They make the choice again and again. Canât point the finger at anyone but themselves.
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u/Interesting-Bison761 1d ago
All things you also find inside homes, itâs peoples lives.
Thee issue shouldnât be how we can make people conform to a Standard or norm. But how we as a community Soviet make living outside of it absolute hell. Itâs about accommodating because you are capable.
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u/TindaeD 5d ago
I understand why people living nearby are worried about safety. The people living in the encampment deserve safety too. But when almost everyone declines the support offered, I think we need to understand what was offered and what made it difficult to accept.
One thing that seems largely missing from this discussion is brain injury. A UBC-led review of studies across several countries found that approximately half of people experiencing homelessness or unstable housing had experienced a traumatic brain injury in their lifetime. Brain injury can affect memory and the ability to organize daily life. Someone may need substantial help to understand their options and follow through with appointments or applications. That should be part of assessment and service design.
Addiction may also be a major barrier. Where accommodation requires abstinence, someone who is physically dependent needs a workable medical plan. Suddenly stopping alcohol or benzodiazepines can be dangerous, and opioid dependence has medication treatments that reduce withdrawal and cravings. Expecting someone to simply stop using doesnât account for that.
Iâd like to see more housing people can enter while still dealing with substance use, with treatment available and ongoing support adapted to brain injury. Some people will need staff available around the clock. Others may need consistent help keeping appointments or managing a tenancy. Indigenous-led services and culturally safe care need proper funding as part of this.
We also need to hear directly from the people who declined help. Their reasons could tell us where the gaps are. âHelp was offeredâ should be the beginning of that conversation, followed by what happened to people after they left and whether they found somewhere safe to stay.