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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDSD-20-078 - A Better Tent City Pilot Project - 41 Ardelt PlaceREPORT TO:Council DATE OF MEETING:Monday, July 6, 2020 SUBMITTED BY:Janine Oosterveld, Manager of Site Development & Customer Service 519-741-2200 ext. 7076 PREPARED BY:Janine Oosterveld, Manager of Site Development & Customer Service 519-741-2200 ext. 7076 WARD (S) INVOLVED:Ward3 DATE OF REPORT:July 3, 2020 REPORT NO.:DSD-20-078 SUBJECT:A Better Tent City PilotProject41 Ardelt Place __________________________________________________________________________________________ RECOMMENDATION: That staff be directed to temporarily suspend enforcement of the Zoning Bylaw in support of A Better Tent City pilot project at 41 Ardelt Place, for a period of up to one year, subject to the following conditions: 1.That immediate access for emergency responders be maintained to the site through the designated fire route; 2.That all previously-identified life safety measures be installed (e.g., smoke detectors) within seven days of a Council decision, and maintained thereafter; 3.up to a cost of $5,000, to inspect the project and certify that it meets appropriate life safety measures within one monthof a Council decision; 4.That the City be provided with a copy of the Electrical Safety Authority approval for any electrical installation undertaken on the site; 5.That plans for heating/ventilation for colder months be shared with the City prior to commencing any related construction activities; and 6.That the owner engage with the Region of Waterloo, City of Kitchener, community partners and site residents regarding the relocation of the facility or alternative solutions for people to support their transition to appropriate housing. ***This information is available in accessible formats upon request. *** Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994for assistance. 2 - 1 BACKGROUND: found that: People experiencing homelessness are diverse. Youth are a growing part of the homeless population. People experiencing homelessness with addiction and mental health challenges are a growing part of the homeless population. Their challenges are also increasingly more complex, requiring higher levels of support to find and sustain housing and to access treatment. Existing shelter space is not adequately funded, does not meet best practice standards, does not meet diverse needs and not enough shelter space is provided in Kitchener to meet needs. Existing transitional and supportive housing does not meet existing needs in terms of amount of housing or nature of support. Due to the transient nature of people who are homeless, it is challenging to estimate the amount of housing needed, however survey data and shelter use indicate between 250 to 750 supportivehousing units are needed to meet existing demand. The COVID19 pandemic has caused significant challenges for individuals in our community experiencing homelessness. Peoplecould not self-isolate without a home. Places people regularly used during the day, such as libraries, community centers, and public washrooms,were closed.In responding to the COVID19 pandemic, the Region of Waterloo received federal funding to address needs of people who were homeless and worked with community partners to temporarilycreate additional capacity in the sheltersystem. The temporary increase in capacity did not meet all of the diverse needs of people who are homeless. As a grassroots response to this challenge, members of the community developed A Better Tent Cityto provide an alternative to unsanctioned tent encampments in the city. It is currently comprised of a combination of tents (indoor) and structures along with washroom, shower and laundry facilities. The project is currently located at 41 Ardelt Place, although the organizers have indicated that it is not intended to be the long-term home for the initiative. City and Regional staff have been in dialogue with the project organizers and have attended the site to understand the operation and checkthat life safety measures are in place. The project location is considered temporary and is not a permitted use under the zoning bylaw. This report outlines the zoning non-compliance issue and supports a short-term solution which has been developed in conjunction with the organizers of A Better Tent City and the Region to address the current need for this shelter optionwhile longer-term plans are under development. 2 - 2 REPORT: In April of this year, the owner of 41 Ardelt Place(also known as LOT42) gave permission for approximately 20 individualsto tent on the property, providing access to a portion of the building including washroom facilities. This was expanded in June to include 12cabin with a mobile trailer adapted with shower and laundry facilities. There are presently approximately 40 people living on site. Figure 1.Image of A Better Tent City (source: Social Development Centre of Waterloo Region www.waterlooregion.org) This expansion was supported by community donations in addition to grantsfrom the to the Social Development Centre Waterloo Region, thecharitable partner of A Better Tent City.The funding also supportsa part-time resource staff to attend the site as .Organizations in Canada and around the world are asking about how this project is working. The organizers of A Better Tent City at 41 Ardelt Place have indicated that the tents and shed structures arenot intended to be permanent useson the site. Their intentionis to operate and transition the facilities to anappropriate location until such time as more sustainable housing solutions are identified for people. Refer to the letter from Jeff Wilmer on behalf of A Better Tent City attached as Appendix A to this reportfor more information. Official Plan Designation & Zoning The property at 41 Ardelt Place is designated Heavy Official Plan and zonedHeavy Industrial (M4) in Zoning Bylaw 85-01 which allows industrial, office and other compatible uses. The use as a shelter would most likely fall under the zoning 2 - 3 use of a Residential Care Facility which is not a permitted use in this zone. In order to permit the use on the property, a Planning Act application would be required including a full evaluation of compatibility and appropriateness of the land use. Given that the site owner isnot proposing the use on a permanent basis,a change of land use on this property at this timeis not an appropriate course of action. Staff is requesting direction from Council to delay enforcement of the zoning bylaw in order to continue to meet the immediate needs of those sheltering on site. Therecommendedconditions of this decision relate tothe on-going need to address life safety. Further, a transition plan is also necessary to work towards a more sustainable solution which could include:an alternate location;an alternative transitional form of housing;affordable housing;or,other creative solutions. Next Steps responsibilityalone. The Region and area municipalities, including Kitchener, as well as other community partners all have a role to play. Key considerations moving forwardinclude: The Region of Waterloo has indicated they want to work in collaboration with municipal and community partners --imagine the shelter systemin order to better meet the diverse needs of people experiencing homelessness. This will includeidentifying immediate, mid-term and longer-term housing options and supports Use of Regional and City lands is also being consideredto implement the plan. City staff, in collaboration with the Region, community partners and the development industry are working toward presenting to Council the draft Affordable Housing Strategy for public review and comment this fall. ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN: The recommendations of this report help advance the Caring Community goal of the 2019-2021 Strategic Plan: community spaces and programs, better engaging, serving and supporting ourdiverse populations and helping to make housing affordable͵ FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: In the interest of limiting costs to ABetter Tent City, while ensuring that appropriate life safety measures are in place, it is proposed that the City fund the cost of an architect or professional engineer to inspect the project and provide a report certifying that it meets appropriate life safety measures.It is estimated that the cost of said inspection and report will be less than $5,000.The proposed funding source is the Affordable Housing Strategy budgetthat has adequate funds to cover this cost. 2 - 4 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: INFORM council / committee meeting. CONCLUSION: Meeting the needs of our most vulnerable citizens requires creative solutions and flexibility. While A Better Tent City isnot in zoning compliance, it is serving an immediate need for about 40 of people in Kitchener who are homeless and cannot be accommodatedin the existing shelters, especially ata time when sheltering in place is critical. Provisions have been made to address life safety issues for this interim useand are important in the on-going operation of the project.The City is committed to work with the Region of Waterloo and our community partners to establish sustainable solutions to address the needs of people who are homeless in our city. ACKNOWLEDGED BY:Dan Chapman, Chief Administrative Officer Justin Readman, General Manager, Development Services Attachments: Appendix A. Letter from Jeff Wilmer on behalf of A Better Tent City 2 - 5 Appendix A. Letter from Jeff Wilmer on behalf of A Better Tent City Jeff Willmer Kitchener ON July 2, 2020 City of Kitchener Planning Division Dear Ms. Oosterveld, Re: A Better Tent City LOT42 41 Ardelt Place, Kitchener Thank you for advising that there will be a City Council meeting July 6, and that this item can be included on the agenda. Together with Ron Doyle, principal owner of LOT42, I am requesting that the City endorse the use of 41 Ardelt Place as A Better Tent City, for a period of at least one year. It is our hope that this will assist in our ongoing discussions with the Region toward accessing shelter allowance or housing allowance funding through the Ontario Works program or other similar program. LOT42 is a property of approximately 6.9ha (17ac) in the Ardelt/Hanson industrial area. Several large buildings occupy approximately 10% of the property. Since mid-April we have provided emergency shelter system). Initially we had about 15-20 people tenting indoors, with access to washrooms and kitchen facilities. As of late May we have placed 12 one-room cabins on the property and now have about 18 people living in cabins and just over 20 tenting indoors. We have now added a trailer, outfitted with two shower rooms and one laundry room. The Better Tent City community is a self-managed community. There are no paid staff. The residents work together to keep the premises clean and orderly, and are responsible for managing the community much like a family or a cooperative. The leadership of Nadine Green as a member of the community has been essential to the early success of the community. Community supports such as the Sanguen mobile health van, the Salvation Army and the Food Bank of Waterloo Region are also important services. We rely heavily on volunteers especially to provide meals. Volunteers also assist with hands-on tasks such as installing insulation and teaching the residents how to do it for themselves. The capital cost of cabins and the laundry/shower trailer was approximately $65,000. Much of this was covered by community donations. A grant from the Emergency Community Support Fund through the Kitchener & Waterloo Community Foundation was also a welcome contribution and, in addition to helping pay for cabins and the laundry/shower facility, will allow us to document our learnings for the benefit of others wishing to establish similar communities. Through our partnership with the Social 2 - 6 Development Centre of Waterloo Region the KWCF grant also supports a worker to assist the residents with navigating through government systems and other possible supports. Local businesses have also provided much appreciated support, donating new mattresses, building materials, personal hygiene supplies, as well as allowing us to purchase materials at a discounted cost. The early success of A Better Tent City at LOT42 has been most encouraging. The community provides a safe place to be for those who might otherwise be tenting in urban woodlots or parks, or living rough under a bridge, or sleeping in the doorway of a downtown business. Now that they are living at LOT42 each of these people already feels more like a person and less like a problem. They are willing to help out where needed and feel good about contributing to a place of their own. Some of those in cabins are adding personal touches like a stone patio, a shade screen or a hanging basket. We are hoping to start various programs (container gardening, cooking classes, etc.) to encourage the residents to learn new skills and embrace a new purpose. There appears to be ongoing demand for more people to join the cooperative community that has emerged at A Better Tent City. While we have some capacity for growth we suggest that it would be preferable for this region to have two or more modest-sized communities to one large one. Our intent has always been to establish a pilot community to demonstrate that the Better Tent City approach can work, and to encourage others potentially including the City and/or the Region - to replicate the model. We consider the best practice to be the San Jose CA model, which is on municipal property and provides cabin-type accommodation and shared facilities to help provide stability for previously homeless people. Counselling and supports are provided on site to help people transition to housing within 10 months. It is challenging to define our Better Tent City using the terminology of the zoning bylaw. In any case, we agree with the approach of suspending zoning enforcement activities for a year in regard to the Better Tent City community at LOT42. Towards the end of the year we can work together with municipal staff and community partners to evaluate progress, determine if this pilot is still needed, what adjustments might need to be made, and whether alternative sites and/or alternative site managers can be identified. As we have said before the solution for homelessness is affordable housing, with supports where needed. We would encourage municipal governments to press senior levels of government to significantly increase investment in affordable housing. Credible sources note that every dollar invested in affordable housing saves $3-$10 in other public costs such as the prison system, policing, emergency health care, etc. Please feel free to contact me if you would like to discuss further. Jeff Willmer JW cc: Ron Doyle 2 - 7