A grassroots organization in Walpole Island First Nation is trying to figure out the next steps for helping out members of the community who are facing homelessness.
According to Beth Ann Cook, this past winter, teepees were set up at a site on Walpole Island for those who had nowhere to go.
Cook said the group started using the teepees through community programming, adding they were originally supposed to come down at the end of April but remained up because of COVID-19.
Now, Cook said several residents will be forced onto the streets after Walpole Island First Nation council recently passed a motion ordering the teepees to be removed by May 31.
"They had this meeting on [May 27] and we're really struggling to find a private owners lot to put the teepees up so that the seven band members that are living here have a place to stay during this pandemic," Cook explained.
According to James Jenkins, director of operations for the Walpole Island First Nation council, the teepees were never meant to be a permanent solution to address homelessness. They were introduced as a short-term solution for people to keep warm.
"[The teepees] are not conducive to good health, especially under these circumstances," said Jenkins. "We also have concerns about the integrity of the teepees themselves because they haven't been used as originally intended."
Jenkins added that the area is unsupervised and there are health and safety concerns associated with it.
"We're concerned that it's become a place for people to congregate now that the warm weather has come," he said.
According to Jenkins, there are several different resources available to anyone on Walpole Island who will be impacted by the removal of the teepees.
"We have a number of programs that are able to support them in a number of ways, both for food security, and connecting them with housing," he explained. "The goal of the programs is always to move towards longer-term housing. If they're in the position where they're looking for rehabilitation services, we can support that."
Aside from continued support already offered, Jenkins said they are working with nearby municipalities to possibly have willing First Nation residents transferred to a temporary shelter.
"We're reaching out to neighbouring municipalities, including the Municipality of Chatham-Kent, to see if we can work together to ensure that there's a feeling of connectivity and that members who do decide to use those services still are connected to our community," said Jenkins.
Meanwhile, Cook said the group is continuing to talk with private landowners to develop a suitable space for the homeless. However, she said they've encountered many hurdles trying to get something established.
"We keep on approaching people to use their private land and for some reason or another, it doesn't happen," she said.
Jenkins said in regard to long-term solutions, there are several proposals are on the table, one of which may involve constructing tiny homes.
For now, Cook said the group is absolutely heartbroken that the situation has come to the point where several community members will now be left without anywhere to go.
"There are seven band members now, here," she said. "We just can't tell them 'okay you have to just go back on the streets' like they were before."
-With files from Natalia Vega