SUBMITTED PHOTO A garage accessed from a lane next door to St. Barnabas Church has been used by homeless people likely due to its proximity to the nearby needle exchange program on Fourth Street SE, say police.
gslade@medicinehatnews.com@MHNGillianSlade
Police say they have dismantled another encampment of homeless people in a garage downtown where used needles were also found.
The garage provides access to Chinook Place on Fourth Street SE but is entered from Fifth Street next to one of the exterior walls of St. Barnabas Church. There is only a narrow lane providing access and the garage, being enclosed except for the front, is a secluded and sheltered area.
In one corner of the garage a “room” had been constructed out of flattened cardboard boxes and was covered with an old curtain. Insp. Brent Secondiak, Medicine Hat Police Service, says he does not believe the “setup” had been there long.
Secondiak said police initially responded to a complaint on Tuesday. An officer was dispatched along with municipal works. The encampment was dismantled and the people there “sent on their way”.
There was another complaint on Wednesday morning and police returned.
“Patrol officers were there this morning (Wednesday) who again cleared up the scene and sent the responsible persons on their way,” said Secondiak.
The location, in addition to being secluded and sheltered, is right by the needle exchange office, run by HIV Community Link, in the Citadel on Fourth Street SE, he said.
Secondiak says officers found needles in the homeless encampment in the garage.
“There were needles in the area so it was likely a spot of convenience,” said Secondiak.
The police routinely check for the homeless sleeping rough in the downtown core, said Secondiak. Due to the colder weather, the number of people sleeping rough outside is not expected to continue.
Last week police investigated several encampments on the Southeast Hill behind the food bank and Strathcona Island Park.
In July MHPS responded to reports of people camping in the same areas.
Secondiak says people at the encampments typically have addictions issues. There have been two or three charges related to these encampments.
In a recent interview Jamie Rogers, manager homelessness and housing development for Medicine Hat Community Housing Society, said there are more homeless people in the community and some have come from other cities.
Rogers said Medicine Hat has a fairly good success rate with its Housing First program but for some, staying housed can also present challenges.
“Life happens and things shift in people’s lives over which they have no control,” said Rogers. “We do see people that lose their housing while in the program … and some choose to no longer participate, and we respect their wishes.”
Rogers says some clients report feeling isolated in housing. It would also be a big adjustment for anyone who has never lived on the street trying to adjust to that lifestyle.
“We might feel isolated and scared and lonely and unsure … new rules,” said Rogers.
A small number of people who use the shelter turn down the offer of supports, said Rogers. Some of the reasons include not wanting to spend a portion of their income on housing. For others it is related to an addiction.
There can also be challenges for some vulnerable people to use a shelter if they struggle with close proximity to others, said Rogers. Lack of sleep in that environment can contribute to this and trigger a range of mental health issues.
