Encampment complaints in Edmonton up nearly 60 per cent from last year
Emergency shelter spaces now at near capacity even in summer, city says
Public complaints about homeless encampments in Edmonton are up nearly 60 per cent in the first six months of this year compared to the same period in 2022, city data released Tuesday shows.
The neighbourhoods of McCauley, Downtown and Boyle Street are among those with the highest number of the 5,742 complaints the City of Edmonton received between Jan. 1 and June 30 this year.
In the same time period in 2022, the city received 3,680 complaints.
The city notes that the numbers include duplicate complaints received for the same location and encampment.
Between Jan. 1 and June 30, the city dismantled 1,103 camps, a spokesperson said.
Encampment numbers were discussed in a monthly update on the city's transit safety plan.
"It's getting worse," Coun. Erin Rutherford said.
"When you start to overlay all of those data points, it starts to tell a very concerning picture: the situation getting worse, not getting better, in Edmonton."
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Jennifer Flaman, deputy city manager of community services, said emergency shelters are now regularly at capacity or near capacity during the summer, which has seen more extreme weather events.
About 1,317 people registered as unhoused are using shelters or sleeping rough, while Edmonton has 627 permanent shelter spaces.
When the city dismantles an encampment, Flaman said, there is a challenge to find spaces for people who are willing to move.
"They're at near capacity for emergency shelter spaces, so we are in a bit of a quandary about where people can go."
The Alberta government has committed funding for more emergency shelter spaces for winter 2023-24, to bring the total to 1,200 shelter spaces, administration says.
Homeward Trust says approximately 3,000 people in Edmonton are considered without a home, which includes situations like couch surfing.
West-end worse
Andrew Knack, councillor for Ward Nakota Isga, said he's noticed more people needing help in the west end and more constituents talking about encampments.
"We've seen more folks out on the streets because they have nowhere to go," Knack said.
The west end has lost 250 shelter spaces this spring, he noted. Jasper Place Wellness Centre closed its community resource centre, which included 100 day spaces, and about 150 spaces, funded temporarily by the city at a former hotel at 156th Street and Stony Plain Road, closed in May.
"I don't think I've ever seen it as bad in the west end, especially since the closure of those spaces," Knack said. "I'm getting tons of calls on encampments from a number of communities who've never dealt with it in this magnitude before."
City manager Andre Corbould said he's discussing the city's needs with the province.
"We have formally asked the department to take over that funding and see if they could replace what we have funded there for the last year," he told council. "Haven't got a response yet."
Corbould said he's expressed to the provincially-appointed Edmonton task force, the city's need for more shelter spaces outside core neighbourhoods.
The province has provided the city with a one-year $5-million grant for transit cleaning and safety.
In a motion Tuesday, Rutherford suggested the city permanently fund enhanced cleaning on transit after the $5 million runs out. The motion included options for customer support at transit stations.
Council unanimously agreed with Rutherford's motion.
The city continues to support projects led by businesses and organizations, including the Downtown Vibrancy Fund, the Meet Me Downtown grant, Overdose Prevention and Response Team funding, and the drug poisoning prevention and response in the transit system, downtown pedway system and surrounding streets.
Council is due to get the next monthly transit safety update in August.
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