Housing task force nears Christmas Eve deadline, but tent city resident isn't satisfied with action

The Christmas Eve deadline for Newfoundland and Labrador's homelessness task force to secure housing for Bannerman Park tent encampment residents is fast approaching but one person living there isn’t convinced the government will solve the problem any time soon.

Volunteer skeptical that meaningful change will be enacted

Elizabeth Whitten · CBC News · Posted: Dec 19, 2023 4:30 AM EST | Last Updated: December 19, 2023

Man outdoors, bundled up in blankets. He has a red tartan scarf wrapped around his head and shoulders. — Gregory McCain says he found a community after moving to a tent encampment near downtown St. John's. (Elizabeth Whitten/CBC)

The Christmas Eve deadline for Newfoundland and Labrador's homelessness task force to secure housing for Bannerman Park tent encampment residents is fast approaching, but one person living there isn't convinced the government will solve the problem any time soon.

Gregory McCain said he has been homeless for four years and in that time he has been in and out of shelters.

"The task force, they said they're going to have everybody out by Christmas," McCain told CBC News on Monday. "I think they're still just sweeping under the rug."

There are currently five people, including McCain, living on site, he said. At its peak, about 30 people were living there.

McCain said some people were persuaded to go to shelters or were put up in hotels.

"We want housing. So has the task force taken care of housing? Nope," he said.

"They want us gone really bad, just so they can keep their face and hold their heads high and say, 'Hey, we took care of it.' But they're not. We want housing. We need to rent to those with addiction, pets and mental health issues."

Two men sitting on a bench with a wood furnace boiler set up. Behind them are tents. — On Monday afternoon, the Bannerman Park tent encampment was a small hub of activity, with a wood stove lit and people gathered around it. (Elizabeth Whitten/CBC)

For the task force to get him to leave the tent encampment, McCain said, he'd need a room with a lock, hot water and a toilet he can use. Otherwise, he plans to stay at Bannerman Park where, he said, he has a support network.

"This is our family. This is where we're safe. We take care of each other," he said.

Task force's countdown

Transportation and Infrastructure Minister John Abbott, who is also the MHA for St. John's East-Quidi Vidi, said progress has been made in housing the residents.

"We've been very successful in sourcing either appropriate shelter or housing for many of the individuals. I think when … the task force was first set up, we had between 10 and 12 individuals that were sleeping at the tents at night. We're down to one or two over the past couple of nights," he told CBC News.

A man in a blue suit jacket sits in front of a large window with trees and buildings in the background. — John Abbott, minister of transportation and infrastructure, says the task force is on its way to finding housing for those at the Bannerman Park tent encampment. (Curtis Hicks/CBC)

He credits that to a number of factors, including working with housing support workers and End Homelessness St. John's.

Abbott said he visited the encampment Friday and Saturday and spoke with residents.

Some of the people they recently housed are in permanent apartments, he said, while some are in shelters. The task force is working on finding long-term housing for those as well, he said.

There's a new Gathering Place shelter in the works, and Abbott said Stella's Circle is also expanding, which will also add more resources.

"So in the short, medium, longer term, we will have more capacity in the city," said Abbott, adding that long-term housing is challenging and the task force is working on improving the situation.

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He acknowledged there is an apartment shortage in St. John's, both with the city's units, Newfoundland and Labrador Housing units and the private market.

Advocating for change

Laurel Huget, a volunteer with Tent City for Change — a group that's supporting the people living in the encampment — said the number of residents can fluctuate day by day, for a number of reasons. If someone is sick, they may go to the shelter or they might be couch-surfing, she said.

"But that doesn't mean that there won't be a brand-new bunch of folks who've been evicted or face dangerous slumlords or folks who are in unsafe housing conditions show up the next day," said Huget.

Woman with blond hair, standing outside. Behind her are tents — Laurel Huget, a volunteer with Tent City for Change, says the number of residents living there can change daily. (Kyle Mooney/CBC)

Huget also said the task force is offering temporary shelters, which people might refuse to move into, whereas Tent City for Change's goal is long-term, safe and affordable housing and systemic change.

She added the group has been pushing for general service improvements for the tent encampment. Garbage pickup is now happening, she said, but they also wanted Wi-Fi and electricity, which hasn't happened.

She also pointed to an increase in police presence, the opposite of what they've called for.

On Friday, Huget said, about a dozen police officers were at the encampment, alleging they were there to remove tents as well as survival gear people need for the winter.

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