Left homeless by fire, former rooming house tenants preparing encampment for winter

Former tenants of an Ottawa rooming house that burned down in the spring have moved into a tent community in a woodedarea near Bayview station, where some of them are hunkering down for the winter.

About 20 people, many of whom lived at 118 Lebreton St. N. before fire destroyed the building in April, currently reside in a clearingjust north of the LRT tracks. Many of them say they were put up in motels for a few days after the fire, but have had nowhere to live since.

With temperatures dropping, the city is now scrambling to find them more appropriate accommodations.

"Winter is coming, and many of us are really quite concerned about how they're going to cope in the winter," said SomersetCoun. Catherine McKenney.

CBC has visited the tent community, but people there declined to be interviewed on the record.However, one inhabitant told CBC they chose to live there rather than go to any of the city's homeless shelters.

McKenney said some have chosen to stay in the area because it's their home, and where they access services like the Somerset Community Health Centre.

"I think we have to remember that this is their neighborhood," McKenneysaid.

'We want to get people housed as quickly as possible'

5 years ago

Duration 1:16

Councillors Catherine McKenney and Jeff Leiper say they're hoping to find a solution for the people who have been sleeping outside since a rooming house fire in the spring.

'Like a family'

Bryan Archer was one of the people living in the rooming house before it burned down. He said the other residents were like a family to him.

Archer said he'dbeen homeless for several yearsand was finally getting back on his feet, landing a full-time job roofing job and a place to live. But shortly before the fire he suffered a hernia and lost his job.

"Then the fire put me out on the streets again," Archer said.

He hasn't moved into the tent community, opting instead to sleep in parking garagesor over warm vents, but said he does visit his former neighbours as a peer support worker.

Archer said he was there recentlyhelping them prepare for winter by placing smaller tents inside larger ones and insulating the space in betweenwith styrofoam.

"At the same time, you need to raise it at least four inches off the ground because of permafrost, and then they should be able to stay warm," he said.

'Safety in numbers'

Tent communities like this are rare in Ottawa, but Kitchissipi ward Coun. JeffLeiper said the fact even one exists amounts to afailure on the city's part.

Still, while city housing workers tryto find permanent homes for the people in the camp, Leiper suggested they may be safest where they are for now.

"The temperature's falling. This is not going to be a safe situation for very much longer. But in the meantime, there is a community, there is safety in numbers," he said.

University of Ottawa senior researcher Tim Aubry said getting the homeless people out of the elements should be a priority, even if the ultimate goal is finding them longer-term housing.

"It puts them at great risk in terms of their health," Aubry said.

But opening more emergency shelter space is a political hot potato at city hall, where most politicians prefer to put money into longer-term housing solutions. In the meantime, some nearby churches may open their doors, but hiring a supervisor for such a program can cost between $50,000 and $60,000.

Archer agrees the city needs more permanent housing options.

"Find us some affordable housing. Get us off the streets," he said.