Homeless encampment outside city hall comes down (4 photos)

People who have been dwelling at the homeless encampment outside Ronald A. Irwin Civic Centre over the past week were busy dismantling their tents Wednesday afternoon. 

Social services has confirmed that approximately 25 people will be temporarily housed in local motel rooms for up to a month while the agency works to find more permanent housing solutions for those living with homelessness in Sault Ste. Marie. 

“Today, there’s an absolute sense of hope,” said Addiction and Mental Health Advocates (AAMHA) founder and chairperson Donna DeSimon. “They are so happy. And it’s been so cold out here, it’s crazy.” 

DeSimon - who has been helping to gather donations of clothing and other necessities for those who have been dwelling at the tent encampment - says the recent snowfall created issues for those occupying the front lawn of city hall. 

“When it collapsed all the tents, all their belongings got soaked, so we had to throw out some blankets, some clothes and whatnot. And the donations keep coming, thank God, because we need them,” she said. 

Sault Ste. Marie Mayor Christian Provenzano says the city has been working with the District Sault Ste. Marie Social Services Administration Board (DSSMSSAB) and people at the encampment all week to help find some warm, dry places for people to sleep.

“We’ve worked on that diligently, and I think this shows you the city cares. We’re trying to help find resolution to these challenges. They’re big challenges, and we’ll keep working on them,” said Provenzano, speaking to SooToday at the encampment. “We recognize what we’re doing right now is a temporary resolution.”

I just want to commend a lot of the folks out here for their perseverance, for their advocacy, and also for working with us - as you can see, they’re cleaning up the site and they’re packing up some tents. They’re going to be sheltered soon, and that’s a positive thing.”

Social services searching for options

Joanne Pearson, community program manager for social services, told SooToday Wednesday that staff will be working with clients to secure alternate accommodations in the community. If alternate accommodations are not found within the month, then social services will look at what other options are available, including transferring people to Verdi Hall, the new, 14-bed emergency shelter that will be opening up soon. 

Verdi Hall will serve as a temporary shelter until the permanent shelter opens at the former Sacred Heart School on Wellington Street East next year. 

“The encampment began last Friday. We worked very quickly to engage in conversation with those impacted by homelessness, and our ultimate goal was to absolutely get a roof over peoples’ heads, and that’s what we’ve been able to accomplish with the support of groups like Donna DeSimon’s group as well as the mayor and the CAO,” said Pearson. “Collectively I think we really came together to make sure that voices were heard and that we were there to provide the housing piece.”

Pearson acknowledged that the motel rooms are a temporary solution. 

“Our work isn’t done,” she said. “Our work continues to find permanent housing - this is just a temporary solution.”

Grassroots group raising funds for permanent shelter

Meanwhile, DeSimon and AAMHA are trying to put the pieces in place for a permanent shelter in Sault Ste. Marie. 

A GoFundMe campaign has been launched by DeSimon in order to raise seed money for the project. She already has a suitable location in mind, but nothing has been set in stone as of yet.  

“We’re working on a permanent shelter, something that is going to be here all the time so that there’s never a shortage,” she said.

'This is a consequence of systemic failure,' mayor says

As the mayor watched the encampment being taken down Wednesday, he recognized the challenges and the work that needs to be done for people experiencing homelessness and mental health and addictions issues.  

“The protest that happened before council that turned into the occupation of the front lawn here at city hall, it came from the reality that we all have to recognize, that there a lot of people in our community that are struggling, and there are a lot of people in our community that are reaching out to the system for assistance - and they’re being failed by it,” said Provenzano. “This is a consequence of systemic failure, and I think that is something that all levels of government are responsible for, including the one that I represent.”

“We have to continue to work together to get more resources into the system so that we can actually build the infrastructure in our community that we need to take care of people that are homeless or experiencing temporary homelessness, or that have mental health and addiction challenges.”