The Citizen, 2018-03-08, Page 8PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 8, 2018.
Homelessness lives in Huron County's shadows
Getting started
The beginnings of a pilot project at Lakeside United Church
in Goderich have helped keep some of Huron County's
homeless out of the cold, but during the day, especially
during the winter, these people find themselves without a
place to go. The Out of the Cold program is now in its
second year of a partnership with the county. (Lisa B. Pot photo)
By Lisa B. Pot
The Rural Voice
He was wandering outside New
Orleans pizza in Clinton when
pizzeria owner, Judith Damsma,
saw him. He had put his boots and
a pair of socks on a picnic table
and was walking around the
parking lot wearing a rather worn
pair of socks.
It was early winter.
"He was there quite a while and
I thought maybe I'd bring out a
piece of pizza for him," said
Damsma.
They had a little chat. He shared
he was originally from Alberta so
she asked what brought him to this
area.
"Destiny!" he said.
She asked if he was staying
warm. "Yep," he said.
And did he have a place to stay?
"Well, no one has kicked me out
yet!" was his answer.
With that, Damsma wished him
a good day and she went back to
work. He never came back to the
pizza shop, though she saw him
now and again wandering around
town.
Her encounter with homeless-
ness was brief, but very relatable
to rural residents across south-
western Ontario where homeless-
ness hasn't always been as visible
as it is in larger cities. There have
always been the "couch surfers"
and the "hidden homeless", but in
rural towns, homelessness has
become a visible issue. To some
businesses, a troublesome one.
Another business owner in
Clinton has the kind of business
where services can be accessed 24
hours and doors are open to
anyone.
"We've had homeless in before
who are very neutral. They use the
sink to clean up and we've left
soap and supplies under the sink
for them to use," says a member of
the family which owns the
business.
That changed this year when a
homeless man began using the
business as part of a circuit of
places he would visit, sometimes
for the night. These included
convenience stores, under bridges
and the bushes behind the tourist
centre in Clinton, says the source.
"He seemed to have no money or
shoes and at first I felt half -sorry
for him," says the source. "Then
he started sleeping in our facility
and I told him he could not sleep
here. It was a business, not a
residence."
The homeless man agreed, but
continued to curl up in the corner.
Soon he was smoking and drinking
in the facility and eating tins of cat
food. Eventually his presence,
which was both intimidating and
odorous, was driving off business.
Women in particular didn't feel
safe with an unkempt man making
camp on the floor.
"Again, I told him he could
come in to warm up but we didn't
want that kind of behaviour at this
business," said the source.
When the source realized the
man wasn't going respect her
requests and that mental health
was an issue in this case, she called
the Ontario Provincial Police and a
constable removed him from the
location and relocated him to
Goderich.
Bring up the subject of
homelessness in Huron and you'll
get a dozen stories says Huron
OPP Constable Dave Greer.
He recently attended a call about
a homeless man winter camping
along the trails near Goderich,
apparently with a heat source
which allowed him to survive
outside.
"I went to investigate, but I
could not find him," said Greer.
The freezing temperatures have
been driving the tenters into town
where they make use of the library,
bank vestibules, used clothing
stores, coffee shops, employment
centres and the YMCA to warm
up.
"Yes, we've had calls," confirms
Constable James Stanley,
Community Safety Officer with
the Huron OPP. "We are dealing
with a visible, but small
population."
Greer says many homeless tend
to keep to themselves and stay
away from populated areas where
they would draw attention.
However, during the winter, they
will do all they can to get out of
the cold.
Homelessness has a variety of
underlying economic and social
factors including mental health,
addiction and financial crisis.
"Homeless [people] who
struggle with addictions may have
lost hope, while those with mental
illness just don't have the coping
mechanisms to deal with life," said
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Stephen Martin of Goderich, a
missionary with the Huron diocese
of the Anglican Church. "As to the
financial side, really, so many
people are two paycheques away
from being homeless. If you live
paycheque -to -paycheque and
lose your job, the cards fall pretty
fast."
Shame plays a role in the
homeless situation as well,
particularly in rural areas.
"In rural towns, if you go to a
program, you can run into
someone who knows you or your
family. There's a real stigma
attached," says Martin.
In larger urban centre, it's easier
to blend in and become
anonymous. However, having
worked with the homeless in
bigger cities for over 25 years,
Martin says many of them are
from the country. They end up in
cities to find resources and many
never return home alive.
With so many serious social
factors, it's impossible for service
workers or police officers to have
blanket solutions. The task of OPP
officers, says Greer, is to respond
to calls and initiate charges under
the Trespass Act if it comes to that.
His role is more specific. As the
Community Mobilization/Mental
Health Co-ordinator for Huron, his
task is to monitor all mental health
calls to avert crisis. Many
homeless fall into this category.
Greer attempts to create a
relationship with the homeless to
connect them to mental health and
housing services that could
improve their situation.
"There is not a lack of mental
health supports in Huron County,
but choosing to access those
supports is a personal choice,"
says Greer. "We cannot force them
to connect with mental health
agencies. It's tricky. We have to
just keep offering. They may not
use the contact the first 10 times
but they might the 1 lth time you
offer."
The Goderich branch of the
Huron County Library is actually a
good place for the homeless to
hang out because mental health
workers use the space to establish
contact.
Sometimes, though, police and
mental health workers have to
accept that "it is their right to live
that way if they are not hurting
others or causing hardships"
However, even the most
Continued on page 7
NOTICE TO DOG OWNERS
in the Municipality of
Morris-Turnberry
2018 Dog Tags and Licences are now available:
(Monday to Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
and Fridays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)
at the Municipality of Morris-Turnberry Municipal Office
41342 Morris Rd., PO Box 310,
Brussels, ON NOG 1H0
***Tags can be picked up in person or
ordered by telephone ***
All dogs must be licensed in compliance with By-law No. 80-
2013.
A copy of the complete By-law is available for review at the
Municipal Office.
All dogs must be identified by means of a tag and licence, issued
for a (1) one year period by:
Friday, April 27, 2018
The fee schedule shall be as follows:
1. All Dogs (except those listed in #2)
- male, females and spayed females
FIRST DOG
ALL OTHERS
$20.00 per dog
$30.00 per dog
2. Pit bulls, Pit bull crosses, Staffordshire terriers
FIRST DOG $100.00 per dog
ALL OTHERS $110.00 per dog
3. Kennel Licence Fee $125.00
(for a kennel of dogs that are registered or
eligible for registration under the Animal Pedigree Act)
4. Late Payment Charge $20.00 per dog
(Shall be assessed in addition to the licence fee,
if the licence and/or tag is not purchased by April 27)
Excrement:
The By-law requires dog owners to forthwith remove excrement
left by a dog, from property other than the premises of the owner
of the dog.
Any person contravening this provision is subject to a $125 fee.
For further information contact:
The Municipality of Morris-Turnberry
Telephone: 519-887-6137 Ext. 24
Fax: 519-887-6424
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