As a snowstorm blows in around him, Anson Palmer makes his way through a camp set up on the side of Gateway Boulevard.
Tucked into trees and sandwiched between the busy roadway and construction fencing, a tarp hangs as a wind block for a tent. Wood scraps, bags and cardboard are also piled around the site.
Palmer is one of the many homeless people who have set up camp far from shelters and social agencies, which are largely concentrated around Edmonton’s downtown.
On this snowy Tuesday, Palmer is just visiting. His friend lives in the tent. Palmer cycled over to check that he was staying warm, and helped him set up a wood stove.
Palmer and his fiancée camp closer to Southgate Centre. Dressed in a reflective coverall suit, he explains this is his fourth winter living on Edmonton’s streets.
“We had frostbite last year, so it gets cold for some of us that have already gotten frostbite,” he said.
“It’s a hard thing to do, but some of us like to be out here better than in the shelters.”
With public complaints and questions about homeless encampments on the rise, both within and outside of the city core, Edmontonians living in the tents say their reasons for choosing where to shelter are complex.
How best to respond to the existence of homeless encampments has been the focus of intense debate, and is at the centre of an ongoing court battle between the advocates for the homeless, the City of Edmonton and the Edmonton Police Service.
In recent weeks, city crews have been focused on tearing down camps in central Edmonton that police labelled as high risk, alleging gang activity, fire risks and other safety concerns.
To find out if safety concerns are part of what keeps some of the city’s homeless population away from the core, CBC News spoke with people camping in different parts of the city, as well as to outreach workers, police, a city councillor and a researcher.
While safety is part of the motivation, avoiding crowds, chaos and unhygienic conditions in downtown shelters and camps, and a preference for simply being left alone, are also major factors in deciding to live in areas without support services.
Palmer said that while there are downsides to camping further away from downtown, it’s quieter and it’s less likely that belongings will go missing.
Gangs common in some encampments: police
Last month, an EPS-led plan to tear down several central Edmonton encampments sparked public outcry.
At a news conference…
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