Timmins residents say homeless shelter needs to be relocated
CTV
Timmins resident Robert Boucher has started a Facebook group calling for the Living Space homeless shelter to be moved out of a residential area.
Timmins resident Robert Boucher has started a Facebook group calling for the Living Space homeless shelter to be moved out of a residential area.
In just a few days, nearly 500 people have joined the group and all are sharing their concerns about how their neighborhood has changed since the shelter arrived.
Boucher lives in the south end of Timmins, just a few blocks away from the living space homeless shelter.
His property backs on to a popular trail and he said ever since the shelter moved near his home in the fall of 2021, he's witnessed an increase in disturbances and crime on the trail and on his property.
He said calls to police have been futile.
"They can steal from any of these yards and as soon as (they’re) back on the trail, they could be anywhere," he said.
“I’m hoping that we can maybe start a Go Fund Me and literally sue the city and charge them for wages. We deserve all the training that needs to be done if we have to deal with the homeless, if we have to deal with mental health issues, if we have to deal with substance abuse people, we need that training. I have to shovel up needles in my yard all the time.”
