'Where am I going? To pitch a tent somewhere else': Homeless camp shut down in Abbotsford

A large homeless camp next to Highway 1 in Abbotsford is no more.

Campers were being evicted by workers with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure Wednesday.

But many of the campers were just headed to other camps in less visible locations.

“Where am I going? To pitch a tent somewhere else or huddle in a doorway,” said Elle, who recently moved to the encampment that was located off the freeway near Clearbrook Road.

“I’m not upset. I’m just used to this. I don’t have any feelings any more. I’m dead about this,” she said.

There were about 20 people in the camp until eviction notices were given out last week.

“This was on a highway right-of-way. A rollover on the highway or people trying to cross the highway dangerously in front of high-speed vehicles was a concern for us,” said Transportation Minister Rob Fleming.

Crews began cleanup Wednesday morning, hauling out everything from piles of garbage to abandoned fitness equipment.

“The site that you referred to, right now, has about seven people,” said Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon.

“Three people have been offered housing and are actually going to be moving to new housing opportunities, and there’s about four people we’re still working with to try and encourage them to take opportunities,” he said.

But an outreach worker tells CTV News most people he worked with at the camp had moved to other encampments, and that shelters continue to be full.

Clearbrook wasn’t the only camp being cleaned out Wednesday.

Workers were clearing out shelters along a street not far from the former crime-riddled Lonzo camp, which was shut down to make way for a temporary shelter.

“Due to significant public safety concerns identified by the Abbotsford Police Department related to a makeshift structure that had been established on Southern Railway’s property, the City of Abbotsford worked with Southern Rail to remove the structure and clear the safety hazard,” an Abbotsford spokesperson said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Kahlon said the work on the new shelter is underway.

“Our goal is to have it ready by the end of the year. We have already placed the orders. In fact, the units are being built right now, off site,” he said.