Barrie homelessness plan called ‘violation of basic human rights’

Barrie is moving to ban residents from giving money, food or water to homeless people on city property, an unprecedented move that has drawn criticism for being inhumane as cities across the country grapple with a proliferation of encampments.

The proposed bylaw change in the city of 160,000 is also one of the most desperate responses to the dramatic rise in homelessness across the country since 2020, critics say.

The amendment was introduced as a motion asking the government to explore methods “aimed at addressing the chronic homelessness situation in Barrie and creating a safer community for all.” It will return to city council for consideration on Wednesday.

The change would have dire consequences, says a local activist who protested the proposal outside Barrie City Hall.

“We may be able to fine an organization like the one my husband and I started in memory of our son up to $100,000 for handing out a bottle of water to a homeless person on a hot summer day,” Christine said. Nayler, who protested the amendment this week.

She said individuals could be fined as much as $5,000 for handing out food, water, money or tent/camping supplies to an individual on city property, including parks, open spaces, urban plazas, sports fields and parking lots, such as as well as public roads and sidewalks.

Agencies, nonprofits, and individuals would still be allowed to hand out supplies to people on private property. The city did not provide details of the penalties at the time of publication.

The bylaws amendment is similar to a “don’t feel the animals” ordinance, said Tim Richter, president and CEO of the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness.

“The thinking is that if you help people who are homeless, they keep coming back — you treat people like animals,” Richter said. “It’s cruel, it’s inhumane and it’s a clear violation of basic human rights.”

Richter said there is a trend across the country for municipalities to introduce laws aimed at cheating or sleeping on the street, or installing infrastructure that makes life more difficult for displaced people — for example, couches with spikes that prevent them from sitting on them. sleeping, or removing the doors of heated transit shelters to deter people from resting in them.

He added that the approach, known as hostile architecture, has become more common since the COVID-19 pandemic led to an increase in homelessness in cities across North America. That trend is related to the closing of public spaces, the reduction of shelter capacity and a general ripple effect felt by the health care system during the pandemic.

According to a press release from the city, Simcoe County — which includes Barrie — had 722 homeless people in January 2022, about 15 percent of whom had moved there in the previous year.

Based on data from 66 communities across the country between 2020 and 2022, Infrastructure Canada’s “Everyone Counts’ report estimated that since 2018 there has been a 100 percent increase in the number of homeless people living outside shelters.

Richter said he believes the Barrie City Council’s approach is likely a response to increased public complaints about encampments, which have generally become more visible, according to a report of the Canadian Human Rights Commission.

“People are trying to come across as tough on the backs of people who are extremely vulnerable…as you see more people on the streets, cities are starting to fall back on solutions that were proven not to work 30 years ago,” he said.

The amendment differs from most attempts to control deception through statutes on public vagrancy in that it would penalize the person delivering the supplies, not the recipient, said Cheryl Forchuk, a homelessness expert and professor at Western University. .

But the intention is the same, she says.

“You are not just talking about not giving money with this regulation; you are also talking about food and drink. So it looks much more punitive — it’s[aimed at]preventing people from seeing people as people,” she said.

The bylaw change is part of a series of initiatives aimed at reducing homelessness in Barrie and protecting citizens, the city said in its release.

The motion also instructs the city council to ask the province for more money for an addiction clinic, for another organization that provides long-term counseling and treatment, for a shuttle service for people released from the Central North Judicial Center, for a cooling and heating center and for local non-profit organizations such as the Salvation Army to support a lunch program.

It does not include a request for funds to build permanent homes.

Forchuk said she doesn’t believe the motion will do much to reduce homelessness.

“Ultimately, a heating center or even a shelter is not going to be the solution,” she said. “A solution to homelessness must include houses.”

Nayler has been camping outside Barrie City Hall since Monday night. She and her husband are the founders of Ryan’s Hope, which they started for their son, whom she remembers as a “great” person, a human rights and animal rights activist who was also a gifted writer and musician.

Ryan also had bipolar syndrome and sometimes took drugs, particularly crystal meth, to cope with his condition, Nayler said. He died of drug poisoning on November 29, 2020 – a week before his 35th birthday – when he accidentally took fentanyl.

“I always say Ryan’s Hope is not an organization, it’s a community,” Nayler said, adding that they support about 200 young people who are struggling or homeless.

She fears that the amendment to the articles of association will only push more people to the margins.

“Housing in Barrie is a crisis situation, but this is not how we’re tackling it — by taking away what little support our most vulnerable members of our community have,” Nayler said. “That doesn’t make any of us any safer — that just makes people more desperate.”

In the May 18 press release, Mayor Alex Nuttall said city leadership believes the best way to make sure people get the support they need is through their government-funded shelter system.

“Having a roof, heating, running water and food is the starting point and then the shelter system can connect people to the services and support they need. The county announced an 86 (percent) increase in homelessness support for Simcoe County in its 2023 budget, so now is the time to act,” he said.

City officials said Nuttall was unavailable for a telephone interview on Tuesday.

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