Hon. Joan Kingston: Honourable senators, I rise before you today to draw your attention to a very important issue that is the subject of the final report of the Office of the Federal Housing Advocate, which was released on February 13, entitled Upholding dignity and human rights: the Federal Housing Advocate’s review of homeless encampments. The report outlines specific calls to action to address ongoing homeless encampments across Canada, including a national response plan.

Encampments, or tent cities, are established by people who are sleeping rough, usually on public property or privately owned land, and often without permission. According to the final report, an estimated 20% to 25% of homeless people across the country live in tent encampments, affecting not just big cities but also rural regions, including northern Saskatchewan, Labrador, Nunavut and the communities in my home province of New Brunswick. This percentage is consistent with our experience in the Fredericton area.

While encampments have been a feature of homelessness in Canada for many years, even in less populous areas like New Brunswick, since the COVID-19 pandemic, encampments have become more numerous, more densely populated and more visible across the country. The absence of effective coordination between the many non-profit agencies, departments and jurisdictions involved limits the effectiveness of responses to the homelessness crisis. Provinces and territories must work closely with municipalities and First Nation communities, and the federal government must play a leadership role.

As the Federal Housing Advocate points out:

. . . the encampments exist only because of a larger, systemic failure to uphold the right of all people to adequate housing without discrimination. . . .

Forced encampment evictions make people more unsafe and expose them to a greater risk of harm and violence. . . .

Shelters are important. They’re there for emergencies; they’re not a place for people to live. What people experiencing homelessness want is their own door that locks and a place where they can feel safe.

Without proper housing supports in place, mental health and addictions can create significant barriers to finding and maintaining housing. At the same time, the circumstances of sleeping rough make mental health and addictions challenges impossible to overcome. Physical environment and social supports are important social determinants of health.

Greater integration and coordination are needed between community-based housing and homelessness services and mental health and addictions support. This should include the creation of integrated response teams, including clinical supports made available to individuals living in encampments and those accessing the 24/7 year-round drop-in centres recommended by the federal advocate.

A harm-reduction approach, coupled with low barriers to accessing services, is key. The report states that:

In the absence of available adequate housing, all governments and service providers must work to address the structural barriers that result in existing emergency shelters not being accessible or appropriate for all people who might choose to use them.

I echo the federal advocate’s advice:

Change depends on all of us working at all levels, starting in our own communities.

Thank you, woliwon.