With more people living in Hamilton parks, council looks at new options for encampments
CBC
At the edge of a east-end Hamilton park, Lisa Bartlett carefully wipes dirt off her belongings after heavy rainfall partially collapsed and flooded her tent.
Living in an encampment is hard, said Bartlett, 50.
It's often uncomfortable and unsafe, she added.
She wears a whistle she around her neck and carries a can of hairspray to ward off anyone who seems dangerous.
In the month she's lived at the park, a man has exposed himself to her, she said. Her tent has been slashed and belongings stolen. She's seen fights break out with knives drawn. She's helped encampment neighbours who've overdosed on drugs and hands out naloxone kits.
But what stings is when park users walk by and yell "really cruel, vicious" comments, said Bartlett.
"I tell them 'hey, maybe don't judge because you could be here one day — just like that,'" she said, shaking her head.
Bartlett moved to the encampment after being hospitalized for health issues, she said. She joined her son, who has been unhoused for more than two years, and some friends who live in the same cluster of tents.
"These guys keep an eye on me, they all look after me," she said with a smile.
Michael Dowling, 35, moved to the same encampment as Bartlett just over a month ago after being renovicted from his apartment in May, he said.
He has been trying to find a new place to rent ever since, he said.
"It's been horrible," Dowling said. "With the rent as high as it is nowadays, it's not looking good."
In the meantime, he said he has no other option than to live at the park with his partner, Bartlett and the others — a stark reality that Dowling calls "bullshit."
He said he's aware some housed residents don't like that they live in the park, and feels the judgment, but doesn't know where else to go and says he hasn't been connected to city housing supports.