Homelessness and Encampments: Making the shift towards human rights
This time of year I receive a lot of case work on homelessness and encampments. Homelessness and encampments have grown across the city. The largest encampment in Winnipeg remains in front of our shelter system. A growing number of encampments are along the riverbank in Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry. In Osborne Village, the Augustine United Church currently has several pocket encampments in and around the Pulford Street church.
Friday May 8th and Monday May 10th, I was visiting the encampments at Pulford. Out of the four people we reached on Monday, two accepted alternatives in shelter space, and two were prepared to move to an alternative location. Many of the other people I had met on Friday were not present on Monday, making matching to shelter space or other alternatives impossible.
Many people call my office to seek help, expressing concern for the people experiencing homelessness. Feces, debris, and flammables are very concerning life-safety threats requiring action. Left unchecked, this can contaminate the ground and jeopardize people's safety. If you think that there is an encampment that is not known to the city it is important to report it. All residents, including people living in encampments have the same right to fire and life-safety protections.
It is troubling when callers move towards criminalizing people experiencing poverty and homelessness. All of us deserve safety and security, including those who don't have a mailing address. As a city we must provide services to all residents; we must also uphold our human rights obligations to all residents.
In considering homelessness, there are relevant human rights principles that can guide municipal work and efforts including:
- Meaningfully engaging all residents that are sleeping rough;
- Stopping evictions, and dispersals; exploring viable alternatives to eviction;
- Ensuring relocation complies and upholds human rights;
- Ensuring encampments meet basic life safety needs and everyone has the same protections under our bylaws;
- Efforts that preserve dignity in-keeping with human rights law.
- Accepting, fulfilling, and respecting the distinct rights of Indigenous Peoples.[i]
Two national inquiries have taught us that it is the persistence of colonization, racism, and denial of human rights that must be tackled head-on. The repeated and forced re-settlement of people is not a solution, but a perpetuation of the root-cause. Homelessness should be seen as a failure of government, not those without safe shelter.
[i] Leilani Farha, & Kaitlin Schwan, (2020) A National Protocol for Homeless Encampments in Canada