A multi-agency encampment response team is being organized in Sault Ste. Marie, directors of the Downtown Association learned Wednesday night.
"There is an encampment response team forming," executive director Salvatore Marchese told his board at their September meeting.
"For the sake of this conversation, an encampment that's just one person in a tent constitutes an encampment."
"There are a number of organizations around the city that have come onboard, to basically do outreach."
"They'll go out when there is an encampment and give information about where people can go and try and to encourage them to find, at least temporary accommodations."
The response team is one small part of $6.3 million worth of proposed local homelessness initiatives described earlier this evening by SooToday's Kenneth Armstrong.
"The protest and subsequent encampment that occurred in late 2021 brought the homelessness system to its knees, as there was an influx of approximately 45 homeless individuals, essentially overnight," says Mike Nadeau, chief administrative officer of the District of Sault Ste. Marie Social Services Administration Board (DSSMSSAB).
"It is impossible to use enforcement alone to resolve encampments and business challenges that result for people living rough," Nadeau says in a report prepared for a DSSMSSAB meeting on Thursday.
"Moving people along without solutions to their homelessness is traumatizing and an ineffective use of emergency services resources."
"A better, more cost-effective approach would be the creation of street outreach worker positions that integrate the system of care to provide supports in accessing housing, shelter or health care options/services based upon the needs and preference of the person being supported."
"This would decease emergency service response, emergency room visits and hospital stays."
"There has been noticeable increases in encampments across the community over the past year," Nadeau said.
"Social Services and its partners (Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services, Group Health, CMHA, AFS, etc.) have been attending each encampment and offering services to individuals as they arise."
"However, the system is not resourced to provide this service and responding to encampments diverts work away from other areas of the local housing and homelessness system."
Nadeau is proposing a $475,000 expansion of the Sault's existing street outreach programs, allowing 16-hour-a-day service seven days a week.
Marchese at the Downtown Association has agreed to participate in local encampment responses.
"From DSSMSSAB's perspective, they would give us what we need to know to do this,' Marchese told his board.
"Safety is a number-one priority of everyone going out there. It would all be administered through them and you'd be going out there with people that do this regularly instead of just being a group of new people."
"We've been meeting biweekly for the time being to discuss strategies," Marchese said.
At a Tuesday-night meet-and-greet with city council candidates, Ward 2 Coun. Lisa Vezeau-Allen talked about challenges involved in persuading homeless individuals to leave a July, 2022 tent encampment at Gore and Albert streets.
"People aren't aware," Vezeau-Allen said, "when Tent City was happening at Gore and Albert, daily, all of the outreach workers from homelessness and housing team were there."
"Of over a dozen people, one person agreed for service."
"That's the other part of it: why? Why do they not want to go into shelter or emergency? What trauma are they carrying?"