'My pride stands in my way of asking my family for help': Man deals with being evicted from a woodland encampment

City officials say compassion and care is key to their response to homelessness, but health and safety also have to be factored in. All of those issues were front and centre as crews began dismantling an encampment on the west edge of downtown London, Ont. on Tuesday.

City officials say compassion and care is key to their response to homelessness, but health and safety also have to be factored in.

All of those issues were front and centre as crews began dismantling an encampment on the west edge of downtown London, Ont. on Tuesday.

It's a location city officials have visited on numerous occasions, but now they are taking steps to remove it completely.

Anthony Featherston says he is currently the lone camp occupant, telling CTV News London, "The crew came in and told me I had too much stuff and they evicted me from the site and told me I needed to move."

A large contingent from the City of London’s Coordinated Informed Response Team were on hand at Evergreen Park around 10 a.m. Tuesday, but left shortly after the CTV News London cameras arrived.

According to Featherston, "One gentleman came down and told everybody, 'Pack-up, let’s go the news crew's here,' and then they granted me a few more days to pack up the rest of my belongings."