The Waterloo District, which owns the land where the camp is located, has said it will not forcibly clear the downtown tent collection, but instead plans to go to court to get those living there to flee.
The area had issued eviction notices on June 6, warning residents to leave by Thursday, when they would be deemed to be violating.
Some residents said they were worried that what happened in Toronto last summer, when violence broke out, would be repeated as police moved to forcibly demolish similar camps.
The suspension is “really good news,” said Jenn Draper, who has lived in the area with her partner, Will House, since December.
“I feel good, but they say they should seek legal advice, so I’m not sure what that means.”
“I’m happy, but I would not leave anyway,” House said.
Waterloo County has said it will take legal action if residents have not left by Thursday.
Regional President Karen Redman told the Canadian press that the area would not forcibly evict residents from the camp, but would file an appeal with the Ontario Supreme Court if they did not vacate their property.
“We wanted them to know that we were serious, but it was always our intention to go to court and the court process will allow all parties to present what they think is the preferred way forward,” he said.
Redman said that while space in shelters and motels is limited, there is room for those staying in the camp.
By 2021, 508 people have gone from homelessness to permanent housing, 190 displaced households have been left with their homes financed by rent, and 2,626 households have avoided shelter through the area’s housing prevention and diversion program, he said.
About 1,000 people are currently living on the streets in the area, Redman said, adding that they have offered the campers a place somewhere inside.
Proponents of her case have been working to make the actual transcript of this statement available online.
“It just moves the sunbeds,” said Michelle Mortensen of the GoingMobileKW awareness team.
And some in the camp, including Draper and House, say they were never approached by the shelter area.
“I would get a motel room if I was offered one,” House said.  “It would be nice to have my own bathroom.”
The couple was the first to reach the spot in December.  They were left homeless in May 2021 after they had a fight with a friend from whom they were renting a room.
Since then, they have moved in and out of shelters, lived on the streets for a few months and in the bushes for a few weeks, they said.
They ended up out of a soup in early December.  But even that did not last, when they went to the opposite land, they said.
House, who has been unable to work for years after breaking his back, helped build a makeshift home.
The top is covered by a heavy-duty masonry tarpaulin insulated with blankets mounted on a retaining wall made of large stones.  Inside is a bed and a sofa and a “walk-in closet” that looks more like a detection area.
In March, some others showed up and set up tents, the couple said.  Soon after, he went up from a few scenes to 20, Draper said.
In recent months, they have managed to create a community where they will take care of each other, he said.
There are many dining tables, sunbeds, barbecues and a donation table for employees who come day and night with food, medicine and clothes.
“Many of us do not have families or their families have turned their backs on us, but we found one here,” Draper said.
“So I think we’ve created that feeling when you walk out the door to go somewhere, you know someone cares to come back.”
Britney O’Donnell lived in the camp last month.  She lived the violence in shelters and her belongings were stolen.  “It’s much better here, no one is stealing my things,” he said.
O’Donnell, a former nurse, has three children.  One day, when her youngest daughter was two years old, her partner gave her a Percocet, an opioid painkiller, she said.
“I felt like a super mom,” she said.  “I could go down and play for hours with my daughter and the house was clean, like spotless.”
He started taking OxyContin, another opioid painkiller, and eventually fentanyl, he said.
“I was so stupid and naive and I feel so stupid,” the 37-year-old said through tears.  “I miss my children. I want to clean up, but it ‘s so hard to find a cure.”
O’Donnell said she was afraid of the shelters and had no idea where she would go if the area forced her to leave.
Redman, the regional president, said the area initially allowed camping, as long as it did not become too large.
It exceeded that limit in early June, rising to nearly 60 people, Redman said.  There were also concerns about the safety, criminal activity and health of residents, he said.
Kitchener Mayor Beri Vrbanovic said the homeless situation is tragic and they desperately need the province to help.
“What is key here is that we need a plan that provides sensible and meaningful alternatives for residents,” he said.  “It has reached a point of crisis.”
The issue prompted Ontario Big City Mayors – 29 mayors with a population of 100,000 or more – to request an emergency meeting with Prime Minister Doug Ford to “address the chronic crisis of homelessness, mental health, security and addiction that is sweeping communities. us.  “
The prime minister’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
This Canadian Press report was first published on June 30, 2022.