People experiencing homelessness to be moved to Saint-Rédempteur Park

Taylor Clark

Saint-Rédempteur Park is to be redeveloped as Gatineau makes way for the relocation of 33 tents and 37 trailers while construction is underway at the Robert-Guertin Centre site.

“People experiencing homelessness are full-fledged citizens of the City of Gatineau and it is our duty to have everything in place to ensure that they have dignified living conditions that respect their person,” Hull-Wright district councillor and Commissioner for the Fight Against Homelessness Steve Moran.

While the City moves forward with Village Transition with the hope of opening the container village before the winter, those experiencing homelessness on the site will have to be relocated to allow for construction to begin.

Based on Gatineau’s analysis, Saint-Rédempteur Park would allow for easier set up of the tents in the short-term over the Allumettières area. To facilitate the move, the park will undergo three weeks of redevelopment to remove the play structures and vegetation.

Given the fragility of the red tents left over from the first phase of Devcore’s homelessness solution, 30 new tents will be installed at the site following the redevelopment work. As for the trailers, the site could possibly accommodate all the mobile homes, according to a presentation from the city. The temporary sanitary block was currently undergoing winterization to be accessible this winter while awaiting the installation of the permanent block.

“Gatineau is making sustained efforts to work collaboratively and implement structuring solutions. The solutions we are providing now are a first step in a series of actions that will be necessary to meet everyone’s needs,” said Moran.