Latest death at Gatineau homeless camp raises concerns over services

The death of anotherman at ahomeless encampment near the Robert-Guertin Centre in Gatineau, Que., is further raisingconcerns aboutservices for the region's homeless population.

Gatineau police said officers arrived at the encampment around 8:45 p.m. Tuesday after receiving reports of an unconsciousman. Paramedics transported the man to hospital andhe waspronounced dead.

Police said thecoroner will investigate and they can't release further information such as the man's identity or cause of death.

This is the second confirmed death at the encampment and the third ofa homeless person in Gatineauin recent weeks, according to authorities.On Nov. 16,47-year-old Marc Jodoinwas pronounced dead at the homeless encampment after he was discovered unresponsive in his tent.

A co-ordinator for the Collectif rgional de lutte l'itinrance en Outaouais, a group that advocates forhomeless people in the region, says servicesare inadequate.

"We kind of expected that there would be other deaths, even if we didn't expect it to happen so much, so quickly," Alexandre Gallant saidin French.

"With the services that are being deployed at the moment, this will surely happen again, unfortunately."

Act quickly, advocate says

Gallant said theCentre intgr de sant et de services sociaux de l'Outaouais(CISSSO), the regional health and social services authority, is failing to meet the needs of homeless people.

"They prefer to stay outside than go to these places," said Gallant, who called the situation "frustrating" and called on CISSSO to"find solutions and act quickly."

Quebec's ministry responsible for social services said it was aware of this latest deathand a spokesperson for MinisterLionel Carmant said he's saddened by the situation.

The spokesperson said the provincial government continues to work to better support people experiencing homelessness.

"This is a difficult event both for the teams on the ground and for the people who were around this person," addedCISSSO spokeperson Qeren Boua in an email.

CISSSO said it has deployed workersto provide supportto those affected by the man's death.