Tensions rise during meeting over Erb's Road shelter

Residents, business owners and community members gathered for an emotional meeting regarding the future of a hybrid shelter along Erb’s Road in Waterloo.

The shelter at 1001 Erb’s Road has 50 cabins complete with heating, air conditioning and electricity. The site managed by The Working Centre also features washrooms, laundry facilities, common space, a kitchen, mental health and addictions supports and security.

Last week, regional councillors voted to extend funding for the pilot project, a move that did not go over well with some community members.

During a meeting on Tuesday night, some people were almost in tears over the idea that the site could remain until at least 2030.

“I do not feel safe in my own home. I don’t feel like I can just go for a walk down Wilmot Line like I used to be able to,” one resident said during the meeting.

The meeting space was packed with people eager to have their say alongside members of The Working Centre.

“I am here to listen. We are here to answer questions,” Commissioner of Community Services Peter Sweeney told the assembled crowd.

Regional staff said the two-year pilot project is working when it comes to addressing the homelessness crisis.

“103 people have been through for some period of time,” Sweeney said, “50 are there right now. Another chunk of folks have moved on to permanent housing.”

Despite that, people living in the area said they do not feel safe, claiming people living on the property defecate in coffee cups and throw the cups over fences and steal ladders and cameras.

But it’s not a sentiment shared by everyone in the area.

“If I get a trailer stolen or a vehicle stolen from my shop, it’s most likely not a homeless person doing it,” one business owner said while addressing the crowd.

However, the divide amongst the community was clear.

“This community didn’t ask for [the shelter],” Wilmot Councillor Kris Wilkinson said. “Never had problems. Now it does.”