2nd Fredericton tent camp for homeless residents torn down

A second homeless tent camp in Fredericton has been taken apart by the city, but some of the homeless people who lived there have not given up living outdoors.

The encampment situated along a walking trail behind the Devon Lumber Mill was removed Monday by police, with help from work crews.

Some people who had been living there moved into city shelters. Others chose to go their own way, said Warren Maddox, executive director of the Fredericton Homeless Shelters.

"We've got a couple of them into the shelters," said Maddox. "Some of the rest of them just went about 500 feet, or 500 metres, down the trail and set up again." 

Maddox was on hand helping to relocate people to shelters. He said he watched several dump truck loads of tents, supplies and refuse being removed by the city. 

Maddox said the encampment was large, with those living there fuelling fire with wood from the mill. But despite its size he said, only eight or nine people lived there. 

"There really wasn't much of a population left there at all," said Maddox. "They'd sort of scattered over the weekend when they heard what had happened to the south side." 

Fredericton police spokesperson Alycia Bartlett wrote in a statement to CBC News that outreach workers were available to assist.

"Some folks were able to go to the shelter, while others made their own arrangements." 

She said there were no problems with the tent camp removal. 

The teardown was the second one in the city in the past week.  

On Friday, crews dismantled a tent camp on the city's south side near Government House. 

Earlier this month, police Chief Roger Brown said the removal of the tents was being done out of concern for residents using them as home.

He said fires from propane heaters and the death of a woman staying in an encampment led to the decision.