'Where would they like them to go?': Homelessness population growing in Summerside

The number of people experiencing homelessness is growing in Summerside, Prince Edward Island’s second largest city, and movement on the solution is slow, according to advocates.

There are fewer than 20 shelter beds available in Summerside, and most days they’re full. That has lead to people living in parks and wooded areas and police have begun ordering those people to leave.

One charity worker says she has 58 clients living in tents around the city.

“Where would they like them to go? As of right now, we have nowhere for these people that they can safely be welcomed, and not bothered, and not requested to move,” says Elysha Whitlock, a coordinator for the Homeless Helper program. “Now it’s almost like playing a game of musical chairs.”

The city has pointed some people to the only provincial emergency shelter on the island, which is in Charlottetown -- more than 60 kilometres away.

Even then, the Charlottetown shelter has only 50 beds, many of them occupied, so it wouldn’t be able to handle the influx of people from Summerside.

“That is not their community,” says Whitlock. “They don’t have any resources down there. They have no support, no family. These are Summerside residents; they deserve to remain in Summerside.”

Housing is a provincial responsibility, and Summerside Mayor Dan Kutcher says the city has been asking for an emergency shelter like the one in Charlottetown for months.

P.E.I. Housing Minister Rob Lantz has indicated work is underway on a solution.

According to the province, “Minister Lantz and senior staff met with Mayor Kutcher and the CAO this summer to discuss solutions to support the homeless population in Summerside. Provincial housing staff are actively working with city staff and community partners to discuss options.”

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