A Better Tent City to move into temporary location in Kitchener
A Better Tent City is moving into a new temporary home in the City of Kitchener.
In a Thursday news release, city officials said residents will move into a small portion of the Battler Road snow storage site. Around 50 people, who are currently living in small cabins at Lot42, will move to the new site.
"It's wonderful, amazing," said Nadine Green, A Better Tent City's site coordinator. "We're here and our family is together, that's what's important."
"Very happy about it. Finally it's like we got a place of our own," said resident Gail Mallaley.
The community had to move out by June 20 following the sale of the event space.
A Better Tent City will be able to use the temporary space until October. At that point, the city will need it for winter maintenance operations.
“The City of Kitchener has a long history of stepping up and working with our community to address social challenges like homelessness that face both our city and the broader region,” Mayor Berry Vrbanovic said in a news release. “The pandemic has reminded us of the importance of looking after our most vulnerable residents, and I’m proud that Kitchener council, with its priority on affordable housing, came forward to collaboratively support A Better Tent City and its residents.”
"I think compassion is what's driving the decision there, because it's a challenging decision as a municipal government and as a property owner," said Jeff Willmer, a volunteer with A Better Tent City. "But I think it's the recognition that this is a project that's working."
Leaders with A Better Tent City and The Working Centre plan to reach out to neighbours in the area in the coming days. Officials with The Working Centre have a "Good Neighbour Plan" to help create dialogue and accountability, while creating a "respectful relationship" with nearby residents.
The new site is down the street from a school, but the Waterloo Region District School Board says "we have developed a plan to maintain the safe operations of our school noting that students will not return to in person learning until September."
The facility on Battler Road isn't used in the summer months and has a large, paved surface with berms to offer privacy for residents.
A Better Tent City will continue looking for a permanent home.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.