Volunteers clean up homeless camp outside Chilliwack, amid environmental worries

A large Fraser Valley homeless camp in an environmentally sensitive area has been cleaned-up by volunteers.

But there is growing concern about the impact of similar camps on rivers and creeks, as well as the rising number of homeless people.

Volunteers recently converged on the camp, hauling out around 6,800 kgs. of garbage.

“It was between 15 to 20 people living here in their own temporary made sheds,” explained volunteer Adila Shaukat of Streams Foundation Canada.

But the camp, which sits on Crown land just outside Chilliwack’s boundaries, recently caught fire and all but a couple of squatters abandoned the site, leaving their belongings behind.

Shaukat said the worry is that the camp is located alongside a river. When the spring melt begins, the area is flooded and garbage ends up in the waterways.

“We want to clean up before the water covers the area and takes all the garbage with it," Shaukat explained.

“We will lose all of our salmon if we don’t take care of it.”

Just a few weeks ago, volunteers with the same organization cleaned up a larger encampment along the Chilliwack River. In that case, they pulled out almost 13,000 kg. of garbage and 1.5 metric tonnes of metal.

“It was very close to the Chilliwack River and the water currents were already touching the garbage and all the leftover stuff there,” she said, emphasizing the urgency of that clean-up operation.

In Chilliwack, homelessness is on the rise.

“It’s definitely growing,” said Scott Gaglardi, the executive director of Ruth and Naoimi’s.

“At the last count, in 2017, there was around 300 (homeless people). So we’re anticipating 450 to 500 (during the next count),” he explained.

Tom Snell, 35, spent the past year-and-a-half living on the street in Chilliwack.

“It was definitely cold and dangerous,” he said. “I have a friend who lost a part of their foot from frostbite.”

He said living on the streets in the winter was particularly difficult.

“I’d spend nights outside shivering cold and in the rain. It sucks. It really sucks,” he said.

Snell said after a car accident, he was unable to work and ended up living in his car. Before he knew it, he was on the street.

But he’s grateful to have recently moved into housing.

“It’s really nice knowing when it’s cold, I have a place I can go…my stuff is safe.”

Ruth and Naoimi’s offers 100 beds in two shelters, which are always full. During cold weather, they also run an emergency shelter.

Gaglardi said there continues to be a lack of affordable housing.

“And the more street-entrenched a person is, the harder that journey is to get into housing. So to have people who can walk with them, it’s not just dropping them off at the door of a house, it’s making sure some of the skills and learnings, that you have that relationship,” he explained.

Back at the camp, volunteers continue to work with the remaining campers.

“This environmental issue is the by-product of homelessness,” said Shaukat.