Repeat offenders behind upscale hillside encampment, expert says they're outliers

Another elaborate encampment dismantled Edmonton police have dismantled another elaborate encampment in the river valley. Jeremy Thompson has the story.

Edmonton police say a sophisticated encampment in the Fulton Creek area was the work of repeat offenders.

The encampment was made of wooden structures built into a hill near Fulton Creek in southeast Edmonton, constructed with plywood, timber beams and other building materials – including police anti-theft signs.

One sported solar panels and another a built-in window nook decorated with art and the words "live, laugh, love" written above the counter. Outside, a sectional couch sat near a firepit on what appeared to be a patio area.

"This isn't your run-of-the-mill (encampment), for sure," said Edmonton Police Service Sgt. Serge Soucy, adding the site also contained a "significant" amount of stolen property and equipment.

Soucy said the same people found at the camp were responsible for an elaborate build in the same area in October.

That camp featured a multi-level structure with furniture and generator-powered appliances, including a washing machine. One man there had reportedly been living in the home since the previous winter.

"They had been ticketed at that time … and then they just sort of migrated over after they were released and started up operations again," Soucy said.

According to Homeward Trust's most recent by-name count, there are 1,239 Edmontonians living unsheltered.

The province said there are up to 1,800 shelter spaces funded in Edmonton. However, some people experiencing homelessness prefer living outdoors, while others may have been banned from shelters by staff.

Soucy said police always try to direct encampment residents to support services during an eviction, but added enforcement is needed when they run into the same people repeatedly.

According to police, the camp residents refused access to services. They were subsequently arrested and charged.

Marta-Marika Urbanik, a professor of criminology and sociology, has been studying homelessness for years in multiple cities and provinces.

She believes the current strategy of offering support as part of tear-downs may not be yielding the best results.

"They're probably going to be very upset and distressed in that moment," Urbanik said.

"These are individuals' homes, they have emotional connections to them. These are items that many individuals might see as garbage or hoarding, but for many of those living on the streets, this is everything they have."

But the Fulton Creek encampment, with its "perceived luxury," is not your typical encampment, she added.

"Most unhoused people living in these spaces are not necessarily engaged in some of the highly problematic and concerning activities that we saw that the residents of this camp were allegedly engaged with," she said.

"The majority of people that are living in encampments, in tents in our river valley, covering themselves up with cardboard – They are honestly, every day, just trying to survive and make it through the day."

As of Nov. 30, the City of Edmonton and police had cleared 9,474 encampments. That's up from 6,693 in 2023 and 4,298 in 2022.

Advocates have criticized the decision to ramp-up the encampment strategy, with The Coalition for Justice and Human Rights unsuccessfully suing The City of Edmonton last January over what it called the violation of human rights.

Urbanik said some camps, like those at risk from gang or drug activity, should be removed and benefit the community as a whole when they are.

However, repeatedly removing low-risk encampments can actually hinder residents trying to improve their situation.

"It's hard to get a job. It's hard to make your mental health or doctor's appointments when you have nowhere to leave your things and you have to try and push your cart across the city or pack up your tent every time," she said.

Soucy believes the current strategy is working.

He said teams regularly meet people living outdoors who are unaware of their options, and he believes removals and referrals benefit the community as a whole.

"I can't tell you how many times I've been approached by pedestrians, neighbors or industrial sites, saying thank you for getting them the help they need, for cleaning up (their) neighborhood," he said.

"(That's) success, right? I'm helping as best I can everyone within that community, not just one entity. It's the camp occupant, it's the residents."

Since opening in January 2024, the province reports more than 5,000 people have accessed the Edmonton Navigation and Support Centre; Homeward Trust, Edmonton's main housing agency, said 328 people were newly connected with housing teams in November alone.

Urbanik said centralized supports like those at the navigation centre are helpful, but that long-term options need to be more readily available.

"Oftentimes, what we hear with our unhoused community members is the massive long wait list for any sort of real treatment options," she said. "The majority of the people we interact with on the street here in Edmonton have been on housing lists for quite some time and are trying to get in."

Minister of Seniors, Community and Social services Jason Nixon said the province is spending close to $217 million on homelessness initiatives, including $42 million to support shelter operations and $41 million for programs to move people into stable housing.

CTV News Edmonton has reached out to Homeward Trust for more information on wait times and is awaiting a response.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Jeremy Thompson