Encampments now part of the 'fabric' of London and other cities, city hall says
CTV
City staff are predicting another summer of encampments in public parks and along the Thames River. During a committee meeting on Tuesday, council was told that the decline in encampments witnessed this winter won’t be sustained as the weather improves.
City staff are predicting another summer of encampments in public parks and along the Thames River.
During a committee meeting on Tuesday, council was told that the decline in encampments witnessed this winter won’t be sustained as the weather improves.
“We went into the winter with over 100 active encampments. We currently have over 40 active encampments [and] we are anticipating those numbers to increase,” admitted Deputy City Manager of Social and Health Development Kevin Dickins.
In 2023, there were 3,527 responses to encampment complaints in London.
Brenda Smith-Huie lives near a frequent encampment site in SOHO.
“We do need to have some issues solved here, because it’s just getting worse and worse and worse,” she told CTV News London. “The garbage is ridiculous.”
Dickins told council to expect some of the more successful strategies to return from last summer, including service depots that bring basic needs like water and food directly to people living in encampments.
