She said people are never surprised when they visit. “People don’t expect to be in one place for very long.”

Finding a new place

The 51-year-old facing eviction spoke with the Mercury Tribune later that day. He said he’s been sleeping at this site for six weeks, and now that he has to move, he doesn’t know where to go. The Mercury Tribune agreed not to identify him in this story.

Two years ago his marriage fell apart and he lost his home. He said the most important thing in his life right now is his dog, Bandit.

“I’m not alone with him,” he said. “My dog is my family.”

If he chose to stay in the shelter he wouldn’t be able to keep his dog with him, and that’s not an option, he said. Even though the six-year-old pooch growls and bares his teeth at anyone who gets too close, he keeps his owner calm.

“I didn’t choose to be in this situation,” he said. “This could happen to anybody.”

He said every time city workers tear down these sites, it drives people further from the downtown, making it more difficult to get food or access services. He said he hopes the city moves forward on the proposal to use shipping containers for affordable housing units, adding they sound “a lot better than a tent.”

One of the people living at a tent site near York and Victoria roads walks along the railroad tracks with a housing support worker walking behind her on Nov. 4. She and others at the site were warned that someone made a complaint and that they'd soon be forced to move on. | Chris Seto/Torstar

Last November, Guelph bylaw revamped the way it responds to complaints of people sleeping rough in the city. Bylaw manager David Wiedrick said before, when complaints from the public come in, officers would visit the site and give people sleeping there four hours, or until the end of the day to move on.

Now, bylaw works closely with the Drop In Centre to ensure people know about local supports and have at least 48 hours to vacate the site.

“There’s nothing we can really do except moving them on,” Wiedrick said, adding even though officers need to evict, they still want to help people however they can. While working with local agencies has helped make people more aware of the supports available, many of those sleeping rough still choose to stay outdoors, he said.

“The majority I would say want to be there. That’s the problem.” He said his officers are often returning to the same sites, over and over. “You can’t force someone to go into a shelter.”

Over the past year since bylaw started working with local agencies, officers have responded to 45 calls. In January and February no calls were received. Now that leaves have fallen from trees, Wiedrick said he expects more calls to come in as tents become more visible.

Gary, a 29-year-old visiting the Drop In Centre earlier this month, said he remembers living in a tent in Guelph for two years straight. During that time he occasionally stayed in the shelter, but didn’t always feel comfortable sharing a room with others.

He said it was hard, especially during the winter, but he needed to have his own space.

'We need more places to live, man'

Candace Wrixon, manager of housing programs at the Drop In, said anyone staying in the shelter now would be sharing a room. Not only because it’s getting colder out, but because the men’s shelter has been nearing capacity for months, she said.

The shelters are usually less full during the warmer months but this year it’s been more crowded.

“It’s the same people for longer-term stays,” she said. “People do eventually get tired of bouncing around so they’re just consistently staying at the shelter, and staff are trying to help find them housing but, you already know what the housing crunch is like.”

One of the main reasons people choose not to stay in the shelter system is addiction coupled with mental health struggles, Wrixon said.

A 40-year-old Guelph man who asked not to be named said he’s been sleeping rough for the past year. He said apartments are hard to find in town and they wouldn’t be covered by his disability support payments. He said landlords also judge him by the way he looks.

He said he used to be a roofer but was injured on the job. He was prescribed OxyContin and eventually became addicted to the opiates.

He said the shelter, with its rules and scheduling, reminds him too much of prison. Some days, staying on his own in a tent was his only option, he said.

Criticizing the recently-built Wilson Street Parkade, he said that development could have been used to build an affordable living space, complete with a detox facility and counsellors.

“We need more places to live, man. We need shelters. We need more landlords to get on board with these Housing First places.”