Letterbox: Dispersing homeless camp ‘sweeps’ problem under the rug

Coquitlam recently moved to disperse the homeless encampment adjacent to 3030 Gordon Ave. during daylight hours, citing safety concerns including fires and unsanitary conditions. However, clearing homeless people from the camp without alternative housing will only make the problem worse, contends Rob Bottos.

Dear editor,

With a Civic Election coming in 2026, and citing numerous safety and bylaw infractions, the City of Coquitlam has moved in and cleaned up the homeless encampment outside of the only homeless shelter in the Tri-Cities. According to documentation from the City of Coquitlam, the homeless must now dismantle their tents and go elsewhere between the hours of 8 a.m. and 9 p.m.

Given we are in the midst of a housing crisis, with no wraparound supports for the homeless in the area, where exactly are these struggling citizens supposed to go during the daytime? I suppose they could all go to our local libraries and public arenas, but I suspect this would not be welcomed by the public at large.

The un-housed citizens who are currently living in a tent city outside of the Gordon Avenue shelter are living in the only shelter they have access to. This is the definition of mean spiritedness, and their actions will only serve to exacerbate the current housing crisis these un-housed residents are facing.

I would like to think we are better than communities like Abbotsford, Maple Ridge, Port Coquitlam, and Vancouver in how we address the homelessness crisis facing our community.

If you are going to take away the only shelter a person has access to, you first better have in place an alternative form of housing for them to access. To do otherwise only “sweeps” the problem under the carpet and you will soon discover that this is not a winning strategy. One only has to look to other local communities to see how this strategy has “succeeded.”

Since its opening, the Gordon Avenue Shelter has been at capacity, and the promised support services have yet to materialise. Over the last 10 years, there has been lots of finger pointing from all levels of government, but what there hasn’t been, is any concrete solutions or actual housing built for those struggling in our streets.

As long as local governments prioritise market rate housing, and improving business frontages, this crisis will only continue to worsen.

While some local councils would like to make this a Coquitlam problem, the fact is, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody must equally share in the solution. Until actual supportive housing can be built, we need an immediate temporary solution, and that solution can’t be merely sweeping the problem out of sight.

I encourage the Cities of Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, and Port Moody to be bold in their approach to this crisis and not fall back on failed strategies attempted by other local municipalities. It is better to be part of the solution, and not part of the problem.

Rob Bottos