Mini-cabins proposal still an option, Rainbow Park neighbor says

There’s been interest in mini-cabins as temporary lodging for homeless people in the city, says a Sarnia man, since he made the proposal earlier this month.

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Kim Gawdunyk, who lives near Rainbow Park and a growing tent encampment, said he’s still hopeful to rally community support for his idea.

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With enough people “you could easily put 10 of these together in a weekend,” he said.

Gawdunyk’s proposal is for 12-by-eight-foot structures with slanted roofs and vinyl-panel walls, with costs expected at $5,800 or less, each, he said.

Easy to build and maintain, the idea would be to furnish cabins with beds, storage and chairs, and electricity for things like fans and lights, he said, noting he’s been talking with advisors, had interest from a builder, and has been looking at potential sites with a community member he said wants to remain anonymous.

He’s keeping those sites confidential for now, he said.

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“What I’m trying to strive for here is the community coming together to help residents and to help people in need,” he said, adding he views building a cabin community as an interim measure as Lambton County works to build more affordable and supportive housing.

Letting tents remain in Rainbow Park isn’t viable, he said, after a recent death investigation and, separately, a stabbing and attempted murder chargeamid other health and safety concerns such as sanitation and drug use near a children’s playground.

The encampment that Lambton’s social services general manager, Valerie Colasanti, has estimated includes 30 to 40 people largely drug dependent and dealing with mental illness has been a hot-button issue in the city.

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Council in April voted to dismantle it, but also to wait for clarity about the legal and social impacts after legal rulings elsewhere that removing encampments without “truly accessible” shelter options violates people’s Charter rights.

Council voted May 6 to rescind its April decision, after similar legal adviceand a letter from police brass concerned about the constitutionality of removing people from the park, and noting police won’t act without a court injunction.

Instead, council voted to create a protocol, dictating things such as where encampments may be forbidden and maybe where trespassing violations wouldn’t be enforced, said Coun. Brian White, co-chair of the community safety and well-being leadership group charged with crafting the protocol.

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May 6, amid calls for urgency, White said he hoped the group could have something back to council within two weeks.

That wasn’t realistic, he said Friday.

“The best-case scenario, for sure, is that we’re hoping to have something in draft form by June 3,” he said.

The group includes leaders from various community organizations responsible for running those and there needs to be respect for their time, he said, noting there’s an emergency meeting planned Wednesday to whiteboard protocol ideas.

Hopes are there’s a draft ready after the group’s regular meeting May 29, to present to the city for a legal opinion, he said.

The process needs to move as quickly as possible to address community concerns but also be thorough “to withstand legal pressure,” he said.

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“And that, right there, is what makes it so difficult in terms of fast-tracking it, because we don’t want to miss anything.”

White’s understanding is the protocol is necessary legally before considering something like building mini-cabins elsewhere, he said.

“It will, in some ways, create the path toward that in a way that checks certain legal boxes off and ensures … (Sarnia is) providing humane and dignified options for folks who are unable to access shelters in any other way,” he said .

It’s important people understand the existing Sarnia-Lambton shelter system isn’t housing, but emergency shelter, he said.

“I think that point gets lost in a lot of these discussions, when folks in the community say there’s somewhere for everyone to go,” he said.

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“These are not homes.”

As far as progress to this point, the leadership group, during the past year, mostly has been “building those relationships of collaboration with these community organizations and leaders in the community,” he said.

After council’s decision in April, officials with the group discussed the Rainbow Park encampment issue and recommended the city come up with a protocol, he said, then determined the group itself would likely be best suited to come up with that protocol.

“The members of the committee who have input to offer have been very active in building their research,” and have been communicating daily, he said.

“I do believe we’re drawing upon an awful lot of resources that have been made available to us, and we have a lot of examples to pull from that I think will allow us to shorten the process significantly.”

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But it could also take longer, he said, adding he’s putting pressure on the group to have something ready for June 3.

Gawdunyk called for action, something he said is lacking in Sarnia.

“We have a council that doesn’t seem to understand how to do that,” he said, worried the process will be delayed again when council next meets.

He noted Coun. Terry Burrell, who voted against developing a protocol, called not taking action May 6 “another motion to do nothing; kick it down the road.”

Gawdunyk said he has experience living in small spaces like the mini-cabins proposed.

As a pipefitter and welder by trade helping build the Coastal GasLink pipeline in remote British Columbia during the last four years, he was living in similar lodgings, he said.

Those included 10-by-eight-foot bunks with little privacy from neighbors, room for a small fridge and a single dresser, bed and chair, and maybe a television on the wall, he said.

“So, this would be a heck of a lot better than my living conditions,” he said about the mini-cabin proposal.

The aim is to provide people dignity, while also easing the encampment’s impact on the surrounding community, he said.

“Much to people’s disbelief, there are a lot of people who actually do use that park,” he said.

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@tylerkula

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