The City of Peterborough has once again opened a temporary homeless shelter in the Morrow Building as it conducts evictions at homeless encampments.
On Tuesday (May 27), the city announced a temporary 30-bed shelter for people experiencing homelessness would be open nightly from 9:30 p.m. to 8:30 a.m at the Morrow Building, located at the south end of the Peterborough Memorial Centre off Lansdowne Street West, from Monday until Friday.
“It will supplement the traditional shelter network that includes 40 beds for men at Brock Mission, 12 beds for women at Cameron House, 30 beds for youth and families at YES emergency shelter, as well as the homelessness services program that includes an overnight drop-in program for 45 people at Trinity Community Centre,” the city states in a media release.
This is not the first time the city has used the Morrow Building as a temporary shelter, having done so previously in July 2024 and most recently this past March. On both previous occasions, the use of the temporary shelter coincided with evictions at homeless encampments across Peterborough.
The Peterborough Examiner is reporting that, on Tuesday morning, the city began dismantling a homeless encampment with more than a dozen tents in a park next to Rubidge and McDonnel streets. According to the report, residents of the encampment received eviction notices on Monday afternoon.
“People experiencing homelessness who contact emergency shelters or social services to access shelter beds may be referred to the temporary shelter if beds are not available in the regular shelter network,” the city’s media release states.
kawarthaNOW reached out by email to councillors Keith Riel and Alex Bierk, co-chairs of the city’s homelessness portfolio, as well as councillor and deputy mayor Joy Lachica
Councillor Riel replied that councillors were not informed of the evictions until after the fact.
“We need to find solutions not evictions,” he added.
Councillor Bierk said “Councillor Riel and I have been left out of strategizing around these enforcement-driven actions,” before commenting on the encampment itself.
“What I saw today at the encampment was that there were piles and piles of people’s belongings, pushed to the boundary of the park and everyone was just congregating there — those piles remain this evening.”
Councillor Bierk also expressed skepticism about whether clearing encampments while offering a temporary shelter for displaced residents is an effective solution.
“My assumption is that once the temporary shelter is closed, people will eventually start setting up in the park again, and this whole song and dance effort will not amount to much — either to make the situation better for those that are unhoused, or for those living near the encampment.”
For her part, councillor and deputy mayor Lachica said she was in meetings throughout the day, and only became aware of the situation through the media and the city’s media release about opening the temporary shelter.
“With this continuous 30-bed shortage, there is need for the city to provide supplemental shelter and support services based on the Housing First model which we endorsed as a council, and which informed the Wolfe Street project,” she said.
“Our social infrastructure is as dynamic as our physical infrastructure. It’s our responsibility to address both, for whole community safety and wellbeing.”
The original version of this story has been updated with comments from the city councillors.
