What happens if a new location isnt found to host A Better Tent City?
Thats the question Jeff Willmer, a volunteer with the project, wants the residents of Waterloo Region to consider as the group looks for a new property for the 53 residents currently living at Lot42. With a new ownership group set to take over the Kitchener property on June 20, the clock is ticking to find a new location. These residents who now have homes will be sent back to living rough, said Willmer. Right now, they have a safe place to be, they have regular meals, they have a supportive community, health care delivered to them and theyre managing their addictions.  All of that vanishes in a day, he said, if they are not able to find a property to host this community. The group was hopeful that a farm site located in Breslau on Spitzig Road owned by the Diocese of Hamilton could have been a possible solution, but Woolwich council voted unanimously Tuesday not to bypass its usual planning process which can take between six to nine months to complete. The hope was for councillors to adopt a compassionate adaption of its own zoning bylaws, but strong public outcry from the community over the last week, including a long list of delegate speakers at Tuesdays council meeting, ultimately led to councils unanimous decision. I fully support the A Better Tent City model and the work that they are doing, said Mayor Sandy Shantz before casting her vote. I think it is very good and very necessary and I think it is a really interesting model that, as a region, we need to consider. But I also believe in due process.  Now, Willmer and the leadership team behind A Better Tent City are moving on to different options  and we do have options, he said. Temporarily relocating to the grounds of St. Marys High School in Kitchener has been floated publicly, but Willmer said Wednesday he did not want to disclose any possible locations before they could be finalized. He said the options currently include sites on both municipal and private land. Municipally owned properties do offer the benefit of more flexible public use provisions on planning documents, he said, but all options are on the table. We really would rather not move twice if we can avoid it, he said. But interim options to get us through the next couple months are one possibility.  Woolwichs chief administrative officer, David Brenneman, told council on Tuesday that he was working with representatives from the cities and townships that make up Waterloo Region to help come to a decision on where to host the residents for the interim and the long-term. The group is expected to meet again later this week. Willmer said he was asked to give the group a presentation  which he did  but he has not taken part in the discussion nor heard anything outside of Brennemans comments on Tuesday. And time is of the essence. Residents now have just over a week before they must vacate the property at Lot42. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...  A Better Tent City has discovered a model that really works to help people that are otherwise not being helped and living rough on the streets, said Willmer. Weve done that with almost no expense to the public, running almost entirely off donations and volunteers.  To date, much of the money to run A Better Tent City  more than $160,000  has come from community donations. We have a model that works when nothing else was working and all we need is a decent property to host it.