Excavator on site in the West End (Photo courtesy Wade Perry)
The City of Moncton tore down an unsightly tent site in the West End near the railway tracks on Wednesday.
City spokesperson Isabelle LeBlanc says one individual had been living there and he knew the city was coming.
“YMCA Reconnect and the Salvus Clinic had been working directly with the individual who had been living there in the hopes that we would be able to clean up the site and keep it somewhat tidy,” she notes
LeBlanc says the individual was told to clean up two weeks ago and a dumpster was provided for that reason.
She says his personal belongings were set aside for him.
LeBlanc adds the cleanup job was too big to do manually and it would have taken a long time so an excavator had to be brought in.
Since the beginning of the homelessness issue, the City has worked in collaboration with many community partners such as YMCA Reconnect, Salvus Clinic, Codiac RCMP and others.
The City has defined an approach to take when tents, related to homelessness, are identified or reported to the City on either public property or private property.
The directive states that YMCA Reconnect is, and will continue to be, the City’s front line of contact with tenters on both private and public lands.
YMCA Reconnect staff will attempt to keep an ongoing line of communication with tenters.
In all situations, the City and partners will attempt to find other alternatives for individuals being asked to abandon a tent site such as Harvest House and House of Nazareth.
