Homeless people in St. John's weather out storm as advocates worry about supplies running out
Laurel Huget, a volunteer with Tent City for Change, says the number of residents living at the Bannerman Park tent encampment fluctuates but there are currently around 14 people. (Kyle Mooney/CBC)
As St. John's is under a weather alert that could bring down as much as 85 centimetres of snow, one advocate is worried for the people who don't have a permanent roof over their heads.
A tent encampment at Bannerman Park near downtown St. John's has been set up behind Colonial Building since the fall, and the number of people taking shelter there has fluctuated over the past few months. Premier Andrew Furey created a task force to secure housing for the people at Bannerman Park by the end of 2023, but it is still present.
Laurel Huget of Tent City For Change, a group of volunteers supporting people at the tent encampment, said she was unable to say how people at the tent encampment were doing on Friday morning.
Over the last couple of days she estimated that the group raised and handed out around $700 to help people get food and propane.
"The biggest issue though is propane, because we only have a limited number of tanks that we can fill up. So depending on how long the storm takes, we could be looking at folks running out," Huget said Friday morning.
Right now, Huget is worried about how long the storm could last and how much propane they'll need. The group also doesn't have a lot of resources such as a vehicle to go and check the tent encampment to see if people are safe.
"So at this time, to my knowledge, no one's been down yet. But we're hoping within the next couple of hours we'll have folks who are able to walk down and check in on folks," said Huget.
However, she explained the group's resources are limited.
There are also more people at the encampment as of late, which Huget attributed to more evictions and people who were couch surfing.
She estimates there are approximately 14 people currently staying at the tent encampment.
"The last couple of days, like more and more folks have been trickling in, and we're still just learning about them and their situations and their needs," she said. "The situation is changing rapidly."
Government pledged support
On Thursday, Housing Minister Fred Hutton said he'd visited the tent encampment that morning to tell people there were options available to get them indoors ahead of the storm.
Hutton added he was told that some tent encampment residents said they intended to stay at Bannerman Park during the storm. In response, he said they will be checked on regularly over the storm so if a resident changes their mind, they can avail of other housing options.
"We want to make sure if at 10 o'clock tonight somebody decides that 'no, I think I would like to leave' — there's an option there," said Hutton.
Housing Minister Fred Hutton says he has spoken with the people at the tent encampment to let them know of the options available to get them indoors. (Mark Quinn/CBC)
Taxis will be available to take them to a warming shelter at Safe Haven or the Gathering Place, where Hutton said they would enter the emergency shelter line.
Hutton said no one had to be outside Thursday night and that he hoped people would avail of the options.
Huget said she was glad that one of the residents with health issues has gone into a shelter, but took issue with messaging coming from government that shelters are available when she says they aren't. Her group calls the emergency line several times a day, and says in general, it's full. At the same time, she said, the shelters aren't meeting people's needs.
Premier Andrew Furey created a task force to secure housing for the people at Bannerman Park by Christmas, but it is still present. (CBC)
"The big thing that a lot of folks, it seems, are having a hard time to understand is that people who are staying at tent city want the same ... dignities and privacy and rights as anyone else staying in a home," she said.
If people are staying at a for-profit shelter or the government's hotel options, they don't have those rights.
"Many people do the calculations and they're realizing that they will be safer, better taken care of, better supported staying in a tent than staying in those facilities," she said.
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