Woodstock city council is pulling $100,000 from savings to be spent on cleanups at homeless encampments across the city, a move prompted by the costly recent dismantling of one such site.
![Woodstock city councilor Bernia Martin is shown during budget talks on March 21, 2024. (Mike Hensen/The London Free Press)](https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/nexus/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/bernia-e1711132526983-1.png?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&h=216&sig=KV7lvuq5TS2tPyJmj-ewfw)
Woodstock city council is pulling $100,000 from savings to spend it on cleanups at homeless encampments across the city, a move prompted by the costly recent dismantling of one such site.
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Woodstock politicians voted unanimously at Thursday’s meeting to use funds from the community and social well being reserve fund to bankroll encampment cleanups for the rest of the year after staff presented a report detailing known encampments throughout the city.
“I do think this money needs to come from this pot,” said Coun. Kate Leatherbarrow, who made the motion. “I do think we need to keep our finger on the pulse, because encampments are getting worse.”
The decision comes weeks after the city dismantled an abandoned encampment at the end of Clarke Street South, a major cleanup effort that cost Woodstock more than $100,000 and put the parks clean-up budget in a deficit of more than $15,000, according to the city staff postponement.
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The Clarke Street cleanup was especially expensive because the location presented challenges, such as crossing railroad tracks to access the site and removing debris in coordination with the rail authority. It also required the use of various equipment to remove debris, including a crane due to wetland conditions, according to the report.
More than 20 large waste bins were needed for litter and debris, as well as hazardous materials such as asbestos piping, human feces and needles – an endeavor that took workers roughly 10 days to complete.
“I do think this specific encampment identified in the report is hopefully a one-off, but I still think we have a long road ahead of us,” Leatherbarrow said.
Contractors already have cleaned up six abandoned camps throughout Woodstock so far this year, including the one on Clarke Street.
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But the work done so far this year is only a fraction of the 44 remaining active or abandoned encampments in the city, according to the staff report.
The report indicates 23 of the encampments on city, Upper Thames River Conservation Authority or Oxford County property are active, 11 of which are “considered large,” and require more than a day to clear because of “significant debris.” There are an additional eight that are and abandoned require cleanup.
There also are 13 active or abandoned encampments on private property, in which cleanup responsibility falls on the landowner, according to the staff report.
Leatherbarrow’s motion included forwarding the report to Oxford County, and also to Queen’s Park for consideration of extra provincial funding.
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Coun. Bernia Martin said the report “demonstrates very clearly the needs for services” in the community.
“The province announced the implementation of HART (homeless and addiction recovery treatment) hubs,” Martin said at Thursday’s council meeting. “This is the data and this is the type of report that justifies why a HART hub and why mental health and addiction treatment belongs in Woodstock.”
The provincial government recently announced an investment of $378 million in 19 hubs across the province that will offer primary, mental health and addiction help, social services, beds and supportive housing.
The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the name of the reserve fund from which the $100,000 was drawn.
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