Second homeless encampment dismantled in Fredericton
Outreach workers in Fredericton spent the day taking down tents at a second encampment site on the city’s north side Monday.
Officials say cold weather and two recent fires have made the sites unsafe for people living there and others.
"It actually went smoother than we thought. We thought there'd be a bit more resistance there, otherwise in terms of people packing up and moving towards us, not as much, pretty much what we expected," said Warren Maddox, the executive director of The Shelters.
At least eight of the 11 people found at the encampment Monday morning refused shelter space.
The south side encampment came down on Friday. Maddox says the majority of those who resided there moved into shelter space.
"We got a couple guys to come to Saint John House, we were working on one woman to go to Grace House, I think she was going to go, she's just tired of the cold,” Maddox said.
“And that's about it, I think the rest of them just packed up their stuff and I think they just went down the trail half a kilometre and will re-set up.”
Maddox says they'll try again with the holdouts, but it's unlikely that they'll ever get them all into a shelter.
Neither community outreach nor city police will force people to go to a shelter if they deny the service.
Community groups are concerned for the safety of those who remain in tents due to the cold, and the threat of carbon monoxide poisoning or fire from propane heat.
"There's various types of shelter spaces and housing options being made available, and it's evident by what we're seeing that we need more and we'll continue to work as a community to ensure that happens,” said Kate Rogers, mayor of Fredericton.
The city maintains an ever-changing record of those who do not have a home in Fredericton.
As of Thursday, there were 161 people on that list.
"You can view it as an exercise in futility,” Maddox said.
“But the greater scheme is that at least we've got three of them pointed in the right direction, and the other ones thinking about it, so it's not a giant step, it's more of a baby step but at least it's pointing in the right direction ahead as opposed to a step back, so we're working on it."
There are at least 20 shelter spaces readily available in the city for those who need them.
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