The city will keep its encampment response team fully staffed through the winter to conduct a review of the first season since its new strategy was implemented.
General Manager of Community Social Development Andrew Malcolm says as fewer calls are expected through the cold weather, the team will also assist Lethbridge Fire and EMS with fire prevention in vacant buildings.
“We see more individuals looking for heating sources, sometimes in abandoned buildings, and this becomes very dangerous for both the individuals and the public,” says Neil Jesse, fire prevention officer for Lethbridge Fire and EMS.
Malcolm says his team has seen high rates of compliance with encampment cleanups.
“We are continuing to see the downward trend in reporting of encampments, number of total structures, and most importantly, towards less entrenched encampments,” says Andrew Malcolm, General Manager of Community Social Development for the City of Lethbridge. “We’ve also seen a steady drop in the amount of debris collected when we do have encampment clean-ups.”
There have been 18 coordinated encampment clean-ups with a total of 569 structures removed so far this year, according to the city.
Malcolm says the review this winter will include gathering stats on how many people have been connected to housing and supports through the encampment strategy.