Public meeting on housing crisis
Homelessness organizations sick of “band-aid” solutions to growing issue
Taylor Clark
With Camp Guertin to be disassembled the following morning, organizations and people experiencing homelessness took to the Maison du citoyen ahead of municipal council on May 14 to plead for a long-term solution to homelessness.
The scheduled demolition of the Robert-Guertin Centre as well as the removal of the heated red tents provided by Devcore sparked uncertainty of the future for those who seek shelter on the property of the former arena. To get answers, demonstrators assembled a symbolic campsite outside city hall.
“We came here this evening with mainly three demands. We wanted to allow the trailers to remain on site. We wanted to have two additional tolerance zones, a second in Hull and one in Gatineau. And we wanted a sanitary block in each of these tolerance zones,” said Collectif régional de lutte à l’itinérance de l’Outaouais president Alexandre Gallant. “What we are asking for is the basis. There are no cherries. There isn’t even a sundae.”
Stating much time had been spent debating “band-aid” solutions, Gallant urged council to provide the basic necessities and then move on to tackling “real issues like social housing.”
Acting mayor Daniel Champagne assured those utilizing the site would be tolerated until viable alternatives were established. The same would be said for the trailers located on the property. The halte-chaleur operated by the Centre intégré de santé et des services sociaux de l’Outaouais would remain in place until mid-June when the City expected to offer a sanitary block as the site awaited redevelopment.
“For the summer, the usual workers will be on site to assist people experiencing homelessness,” said Champagne. “Our police services will be more present to ensure harmonious cohabitation.”
Director of Service des loisirs, des sports et du développement des communautés Sébastien Vallée said Gatineau has not been able to identify several zones of tolerance as the City has been focused on redeveloping the site of the former arena.
“It should be noted that here we are in listening mode,” said Vallée. “We want to make sure we properly serve the people who already occupy the Guertin site.”
Photo caption (1): Collectif régional de lutte à l’itinérance de l’Outaouais president Alexandre Gallant calls on Gatineau to provide basic necessities to its citizens who are experiencing homelessness. Photo credit: Taylor Clark
Photo caption (2): Organizations and those experiencing homelessness flock to the Maison du citoyen on May 14 to demand answers from Gatineau’s municipal council. Photo credit: Taylor Clark
