The City of Winnipeg is looking into weekly trash cleanups at homeless encampments at an estimated annual cost of about $4 million.
“Garbage accumulation at encampments has become increasingly difficult to manage. Citizens as well as residents of encampments regularly express concerns regarding how to manage and dispose of garbage in encampments,” states a report from city CAO Michael Jack, which will be discussed at the April 16 executive policy committee meeting.
There are significant environmental, health, life safety and fire hazard issues at all the encampments, but at the same time, there must be dignity, respect, and compassion through a mindful approach to garbage removal, according to the report.
To that end, city administration has been holding discussions with outreach service providers such as Siloam Mission, Main Street Project and the Downtown Community Safety Partnership in regard to encampment garbage pickup, the report says.
“Encampments can be dangerous, they can frankly be unsightly, and for people that live in proximity to an encampment there are concerns,” Mayor Scott Gillingham told CBC News, adding that ultimately more work needs to be done to house people and provide full wraparound supports.
There are approximately 150 homeless camps around the city. Last year, 162 cleanups were done at a cost of $83,888.39 — about $517 apiece, according to the report.
Cleaning all 150 encampments once a week would represent a 50-fold increase in the amount of staff, materials and equipment required, leading to an estimated annual cost of $4.06 million, according to the report.
However, there are several factors that could impact those estimates, the report continues. “In theory, week-over-week costs would decrease significantly upon establishment of a regular cleanup schedule, as encampment sites would have less accumulated waste.”
Also, sites tend to be more diverse in summer, when the weather makes it easier for people to live roughly, and more concentrated in the winter, when people pool resources. That might lead to more visits at a lower cost per visit in summer, and less frequent visits at a higher cost per cleanup in winter.
City estimate ‘overkill’
Kate Sjoberg, Main Street Project’s director of community initiatives, called the plan to conduct cleanups “a really positive direction” as long as there is a clear distinction made between a person’s possessions and things that are trash.
“That can really be a big problem for someone who’s relying on their personal items for safety, for shelter. There may be items that they’re using in ways that other people wouldn’t predict are really important to them,” she said.
Like most people, those in encampments take pride in their shelter, Sjoberg added. However, they currently don’t have the luxury of regular trash collection by the city.
“If I didn’t have garbage pickup at my home, I wouldn’t really know what to do with the accumulation that my household creates,” Sjoberg said. “That’s what people experiencing homelessness have been saying.”
What she disagrees with, though, is the amount the city says the cleanups will cost and the effort it will take.
Weekly major cleanups are “overkill,” Sjoberg said. “It’s way beyond what folks are calling for. What’s needed is initial large larger cleanups … and then simple maintenance.”
She sees $250,000 as a more realistic cost estimate.
“What we’ve proposed is providing roll bins … where, on a weekly basis just like in a household, you’re gathering your items and putting them in your roll bin for someone to take away,” she said.
“This idea that we need other people to come in to do that work is not what people have asked for.”
People in many encampments already gather garbage into neat piles, waiting for the city to collect it. But without regular pickup, the piles sit there.
“And what we’ve seen is that a number of fires, especially last year, were caused … not by the people living at the encampment but by others walking by,” Sjoberg said.
Despite the cost conflict, Sjoberg said, the cleanups are a great idea and are “going to make everyone happier.”
“And it’s going to be safer for everyone, in all kinds of ways.”
The report outlined several challenges cleanup efforts might face , including location and weather.
Heavily treed or muddy riverbanks are more difficult for machinery to access, it notes. During the winter, several items could be frozen into the ground and have to remain there for the season.
As well, a vacant encampment does not necessarily mean it is an abandoned one. Multiple visits may be necessary to determine if it has been deserted, the report says.
The executive policy committee is being asked to accept the report for information. No decision has been made on the proposal.