Addressing homeless encampments in Timmins with compassion, understanding

Homeless encampments have been a contentious topic in Timmins this year. CTV News Northern Ontario recently joined a team of bylaw officers to look at the work they do keeping the city and its people safe.

Among their first stops is an encampment set up in the front porch of an abandoned building. Following up on a previous warning, the bylaw officers tell the people inside to take it down.

“Whether it’s through our cleaning and clearing bylaw or our encampment protocol, it is unsafe,” said bylaw officer Brandon Larocque.

“They were given 24 hours to remove it, so we stopped here again this morning and they were very cooperative. We will likely be back tomorrow, though.”

Larocque said he’s firm but personable, making sure to explain the law -- but with empathy and still allowing homeless people their dignity.

“I feel bad,” he said.

“I would like shelter, if I was homeless, I would like food in my belly. So, in that respect, it is tough, mentally, on us.”

Moving on, the officers find another encampment on private property by the Mattagami River, clearly chosen for the scenery. On this visit, it’s empty.

“People are saying they’re messy,” Larocque said.

“Well, if you don’t have anywhere to put your garbage, what are you going to do with it?”

The makeshift shelters have been popping up all over the city. It was once an issue that was tolerated, but not anymore.

“It’s kind of exploded this year, we haven’t seen numbers like this in a very long time,” said Sherry Laneville, Timmins enforcement supervisor.

Homeless encampments have been a contentious topic in Timmins this year. CTV News Northern Ontario recently joined a team of bylaw officers to look at the work they do keeping the city and its people safe. (Sergio Arangio/CTV News)

“I think, you know, our department plays an important role in the City Of Timmins.”

After several public complaints, the city drafted a dedicated encampment protocol. Prior to this year, the approach was direct and impersonal: if they weren’t allowed there, they were removed.

“It’s obviously a very intense thing for people to be told, you know, you can’t be here, when you have nowhere else to go,” said bylaw officer Katherine Doucette.

“It’s not easy -- it’s not easy displacing people.”

Officers make initial contact with the homeless, get to know them and ask if they have anywhere else to stay. They’ll then share information about social services, the homeless shelter, food programs — and put on a housing waitlist.

The key is that it’s all coordinated with other agencies.

“We’ve never had any other services or departments that helped us out before, so this is kind of all new for us,” Laneville said.

“Just to have that support from the other agencies and outreach has been really phenomenal for this year. I think it’s really made a difference. It feels like it’s working.”

25 ENCAMPMENTS CLEARED SINCE JANUARY

The city estimates 25 encampments have been cleaned up since January.

“It just feels like a much more respectful way of addressing these issues,” Doucette said.

Doucette said people are often understanding, and police intervention was only needed on two occasions. Recently, the pair encountered a new face on their patrol, and Larocque made the effort to engage.

“Building trust with people, especially people who have had trust broken in the past, can be difficult,” he said.

“They often think that we’re police officers and they’ve had bad interactions with police officers. So with this individual, I got a little bit lower, down to his level. I also gave him a smoke because I carry smokes on me. Put a smile on his face and just a simple gesture like that really opens people up to being more communicative and it also shows them that you care."

Meagan Baranyk, the city’s community programs manager, helped draft the new protocol by comparing the approaches taken by other communities, and making support and human rights a priority.

“We also had to realize that individuals do have a choice, as to whether or not they … want to leave the encampment or not,” Baranyk said.

“So, we have to take that into consideration, as well.”

IMPORTANT WORK

“We try to give them the opportunity to, you know, pack up their stuff when it’s drier,” Doucette said.

“You know, why make it harder when it’s already a difficult situation for these people?”

“We want to address everybody with respect and provide them as much assistance as we can,” Laneville added.

“Although, we do have a job to do. It’s heart-wrenching work, but I think it’s important work that we’re doing.”

The city's community manager and the bylaw team hope their work will not only better support homeless people, but also reduce people's fears.

“Having an encampment definitely does not mean that the city is not clean,” Baranyk said.

“It definitely doesn’t mean that the city is not safe. These are human beings that are living in encampments.”

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“Everybody needs support when you're struggling,” Larocque added.

“There’s a number of reasons why somebody may be homeless and when they see that they have a friend on their side, who wants to help them, it often gives them a bit of a better perspective on life and gives them a little bit of hope.”

Frank Phillips, who was recently homeless, was here on this day catching up with old friends. He wants people to recognize the humanity in the homeless community.

THEY KNOW A PAINFUL LIFE

“Go and see how… kind and generous they can be. You don’t realize it, when you’re sitting on the other side of the fence, kind of thing,” Phillips said.

“You’re driving by and, ‘Oh, damn bums, welfare bums’ and that. You don’t realize how they are. They’ll share with each other. It’s like, ‘cause they know how painful life can be and they go, ‘Oh, I’ll help you out,’ you know, and that’s what we should be doing.”

In his first year doing this job, Larocque said he’s determined to make an impact. And he admits it’s personal: his father died of an overdose over a year ago.

“I took this job because I want to make a difference in our city,” Larocque said.

“I live here. I have two children here. And my … partner's been here for her entire life. Timmins does mean something to me and I wanna’ make a difference.”

This being the first year this protocol has been implemented, the city will be observing how it plays out in the winter months.

Officials said they’re open to revising the protocol on an annual basis.