(rdnewsNOW file photo)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

backlog gone

City attends to 57 urban encampments in June

Jul 3, 2020 | 3:08 PM

The City of Red Deer tackled a backlog of urban encampments last month caused by COVID-19.

The City was forced to take a six-week hiatus from cleaning up camps while tending to the start of its pandemic response.

Social Planning Supervisor Ryan Veldkamp says the effort last month was a concerted one.

“In June, our Parks staff cleaned up 57 confirmed sites, and that includes all 34 camps reported prior to June 1, as well as 23 new camps reported to us in June,” Veldkamp shares.

“At the end of June, we had one more in the queue, and that one was scheduled for cleanup Friday. If anyone does come across one, we encourage them to contact the RCMP non-emergency line to report it.”

RESPONSIBILITIES OF A TRUSTEE ADDRESSED

Day 2 of LaGrange v. Red Deer Catholic: "This is not about cancel culture," says division counsel

11h ago

conducted energy weapon utilized

RCMP arrest man after confrontation inside Bower Place

13h ago

one suspect still sought

One charged after alleged armed robbery in Bower Place parking lot

13h ago

Meantime, the City’s Community Housing and Homelessness Integrated Plan (CHHIP) continues to facilitate outreach for those living in encampments.

“CHHIP lays out a five-year framework, and we made progress recently in terms of increased funding from both federal and provincial governments in relation to our homeless services dollars,” explains Veldkamp.

“In June, city council approved an additional $200,000 from that for coordinated entry efforts. Our coordinated entry outreach team works with Parks to respond to these encampments, and when they find someone actively at a site, the team follows up with them to see what kind of supports they need as far as housing services, and they can do an intake and be placed on the prioritization list.”

Veldkamp notes the City continues to work with developers on opportunities to bring more affordable housing units to Red Deer.

He says while there has been interest from a small handful of companies, there’s nothing new to announced at this time.

The total 2020 budget for coordinated entry is $450,000, with funding from the federal Reaching Home program and the provincial Outreach and Support Services Initiative (OSSI) grant.

The City has $400,000 set aside for the cleanup of urban encampments in 2020.