Region's launch of sanctioned homeless encampment delayed to March

The sanctioned outdoor homeless encampment at 1001 Erbs Rd. in Waterloo has been pushed back by more than a month, confirms Peter Sweeney, commissioner of community services for the Region of Waterloo.

The encampment was supposed to open in February.

"We anticipate the outdoor shelter on Erbs Road will become operational in mid-late March," Sweeney said in an emailed statement to CBC News. "This type of outdoor shelter is a first for the region and an innovative solution that we want to get right."

"It is taking us some additional time, in consultation with our community partners and design teams, to ensure the space will meet the residents' needs."

When it does open, it will be run by The Working Centre, a Kitchener nonprofit that offers support for the region's homeless population. 

"The Working Centre has been committed to developing creative community solutions to homelessness through the development of new shelter options including a dorm residence, motel rooms and an emergency shelter," The Working Centre's Stephanie Mancini said in a news release when it was first announced.

There were 1,085 people without a home in the region as of September of 2021. Encampments have been forming across the region since then, including one at 100 Victoria St. in Kitchener and another on Roos Island in Victoria Park, which was formed in protest with a list of demands. 

The anticipated sanctioned encampment, which will be staffed around the clock, has taken lessons from A Better Tent City, a similar encampment of 42 tiny homes on Waterloo Region District School Board land near Highway 8. The Erbs Rd. encampment will accommodate 50 people in tiny homes of about 10 square meters in size.

Each tiny home will have basic amenities, from heating to electricity, and there will be a communal hub among them with additional amenities like toilets, showers, and laundry facilities.  

The region has said that services for things like addictions and mental health will be available to residents, too.

"This new outdoor model is an important step in supporting individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness," said regional chair, Karen Redman, in a news release last month. 

"Chronic homelessness is a complex issue, but we know that a variety of tools, continued collaboration, and innovation are required."

One of the goals is to also link those at the sanctioned encampment with housing that is permanent.