Homeless encampment near Gatineau high school raises concerns

An Outaouais school services centre has hired additional security guards because of safety concerns at a Gatineau, Que., high school near a growing homeless encampment.

École secondaire de l'Île is about 100 metres away from the encampment in a wooded area near the Robert-Guertin Centre. The Gîte Ami emergency shelter is on the other side of that centre.

Nadine Peterson, director general of the Centre de services scolaire des Portages-de-l'Outaouais (CSSPO), raised her concerns at a board of directors meeting in August.

"We don't want [people in the encampment] to approach students, we don't want students to feel unsafe while coming to school," Peterson said in a French interview with Radio-Canada.

"Throughout the city, there are people experiencing homelessness, so we must learn to live with this reality. On the other hand, it shouldn't be to the detriment of the security of my students and employees."

The CSSPO said some homeless people entered the school last year. Three additional security guards were hired for lunchtime and there haven't been any incidents since, it said.

Gatineau police Insp. Mathieu Tremblay said it's difficult to attribute specific statistics to the situation, but that there have been several calls about people exhibiting worrying or suspicious behaviour.

Tremblay said outreach officers are present at the school at the beginning and end of the day, as well as lunch. 

As of last Friday, there were 83 tents and other structures making up this encampment, according to Gatineau Mayor France Bélisle.

From 2018 to 2022, the number of people experiencing homelessness in the Outaouais increased fivefold to nearly 700. 

Increased police presence

Students told Radio-Canada they avoid walking alone near the school and have been told by staff not to approach the encampments. Some parents say they drive their kids to school instead of letting them take the bus.

"I have absolutely no confidence. I'm not saying they're mean, but I think it's too close to our kids," said Mélanie Léonard, who has a child at the school.

She said the CSSPO has an ongoing awareness and education campaign for students and staff about the issue.

In 2016, a teenage girl was seriously assaulted near the school. Police at the time said the suspect was living at Gîte Ami.

In the aftermath, Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin, who was Gatineau's mayor at the time, ended a project that had allowed the encampment.

Emergency shelter 'at capacity'

Lise Paradis, the executive director of Gîte Ami, said concerns were raised in the past when Robert-Guertin was being used as a warming centre.

She wants to find solutions, even though her organization isn't responsible for the nearby encampment. She said people who live in the camp will often come to the shelter looking for services or necessities such as towels.

"When we have beds available, we take them. There are many people there who are experiencing homelessness for the first time," Paradis told Radio-Canada in French. "Currently, we are at full capacity at 60."

Paradis said people from the shelter will intervene when they see problems arise but there are also other social workers who do rounds.

The city has also increased the presence of social workers and Gatineau police said they've increased their presence with plain clothes and uniformed officers.

Ultimately, Paradis there aren't enough resources to respond to the needs, leaving her staff feeling powerless in already difficult situations.

"We need to find solutions," she said.

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