Edmonton seeing 25% increase in encampment complaints over last year
Edmonton’s homeless population continues to increase and so does the number of calls regarding homeless encampments.
According to the City of Edmonton, the number of complaints received through 311 has increased steadily over the last several years, rising from 1,344 complaints in 2017 to 6,693 complaints in 2021 and 5,693 complaints so far in 2022.“Encampments are a symptom of Edmonton’s shortage of safe, adequate and affordable housing and shelter capacity challenges,” city spokesperson Noor Al-Henedy said in a statement.
Council approved a one-time $860,000 increase for 2022 to focus its encampment response for known hotspots, Al-Henedy said, and Social Development allocated existing funding to add additional outreach and housing workers for the remainder of the year. In June, Councillor Anne Stevenson put forward a motion directing administration to prepare a report on how the city could manage its own small-scale encampments. In the end, the idea did not proceed.Costly estimate for city-sanctioned encampments in Edmonton raises concerns for one councillor“This summer is actually looking like we’re going to exceed the number of calls from last summer, which was a precedent at that point, in terms of the number of encampments being called in.
Stevenson said residents in areas such as Chinatown and Riverdale continue to feel a lot of pressure.
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