The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo alongside several community agencies continue to proactively address homelessness with goals of providing safe, supportive housing to those staying in encampments and strengthening public safety.
“While some challenges remain, our shared community efforts are seeing success. Over several months, we have relocated over 20 people staying in encampments to safe, supportive housing,” said Edna Olsen-Moman, Executive Director, Salvation Army. “It takes time, but we continue to work with the Municipality and other partners to safely and compassionately close encampments.”
This summer, 27 encampment sites have been closed, mainly in downtown Fort McMurray. At present, some active encampments are being monitored and community outreach is continuing to support people living rough to offer them housing.
This shared response to homelessness and encampments is a collaborative approach with numerous partner agencies, including Wood Buffalo Wellness Society, Salvation Army, Centre of Hope and the Wood Buffalo RCMP.
When an encampment is reported, an initial assessment is conducted by Bylaw Services and/or the Wood Buffalo RCMP. These site visits are the first step to engage community outreach, to offer support and safely house people. Once people have supportive housing, the encampment site is closed as soon as possible. When community outreach (also known as ‘Street Outreach’) is notified, efforts to safely house people begin right away. A compassionate response ensures individual’s right to housing is the first priority and prevents encampments from becoming permanent.
“We recognize that encampment sites can present challenges for those living in them and also for the surrounding neighbourhoods and businesses,” said Aaron Anderson, Manager, Bylaw Services. “Encampment closures are not just about removing a site, they’re about providing safe, supportive housing to vulnerable individuals and reducing the likelihood of encampments being re-established. The collective response to encampments is helping enhance community safety for everyone.”
After encampments are closed, Bylaw Services conducts follow-up visits to ensure the sites remains vacant. The Municipality leads the cleanup of sites that are on municipal property, working closely with nearby property owners to minimize disruptions and address concerns.
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