A Better Tent City to be operated locally

A Better Tent City in Kitchener is changing hands after the volunteer-run organization behind the tiny-home community said it could no longer keep operating. The Working Centre, a long-established Kitchener nonprofit, is set to assume operational control of the site at 49 Ardelt Ave. on July 20, according to local reports. The change follows what A Better Tent City’s board described as “significant health and safety challenges” and a broader conclusion that the project had become unsustainable in its current form. The site houses more than 50 chronically unsheltered residents in 42 cabins and has been one of the region’s most visible alternative shelter models. ### Why is A Better Tent City changing operators now? Jeff Willmer, chair of A Better Tent City’s board, said the organization can no longer continue as a volunteer-led operation and will dissolve the corporation over the next few months, CBC and CityNews Kitchener reported. The group said it had faced increasing operational strain and mounting health and safety problems at the site. (cbc.ca) CityNews Kitchener reported that Joe Mancini, director of The Working Centre, said the new operator has already begun preparing for the transition. Mancini said the organization had worked with A Better Tent City’s founders since the project began and was familiar with the site and its residents. (cbc.ca) ### What problems did officials and operators point to? Joe Mancini said recent incidents at the site included a shooting, a stabbing and a suspected arson, according to CityNews Kitchener. He said violence, fires and other risks are realities in encampment settings and that part of the new structure would be aimed at making residents feel safer. (kitchener.citynews.ca) A Better Tent City’s board said the site had become “unsustainable in its present form,” while local reporting said the organization had lost several key volunteers who had provided operational leadership over the last year. CKWR reported the group had been operating with four full-time staff, 15 part-time workers and a budget of about C$1.1 million, funded mainly through donations and grants from the Region of Waterloo. (kitchener.citynews.ca) ### What is The Working Centre taking over? A Better Tent City says its Kitchener site consists of 42 cabins supporting more than 50 chronically unsheltered residents. The project has combined shelter with on-site services including addictions counseling, opioid replacement therapy, conflict-resolution support and pathways to volunteer or work opportunities, according to the organization’s website. (ckwr.com) The Working Centre describes itself as a Kitchener-based community organization founded in 1984 that provides housing, shelter, outreach, meals and employment-related supports. Its website says the group recorded 54,600 shelter nights and 2,500 outreach connections in its latest annual impact figures. ### What does the region expect from the takeover? Joe Mancini said the transition would formalize the Region of Waterloo’s relationship with A Better Tent City and effectively add 50 more beds to the region’s shelter capacity, CityNews Kitchener reported. (abettertentcity.org) He said the region could then direct more focused resources to residents dealing with addiction and mental health issues and develop individualized housing plans. (theworkingcentre.org) The City of Kitchener’s housing strategy page says the municipality has been working with the Waterloo Region District School Board and The Working Centre to support A Better Tent City at its Ardelt Avenue location. That page places the site within a broader local housing and homelessness response involving municipal and nonprofit partners. ### What happens next for residents? (kitchener.citynews.ca) July 20 is the date The Working Centre is expected to take over day-to-day operations of the site, according to CityNews Kitchener. Before then, Mancini said, the organization and its partners will assess the shelter community’s condition and residents’ needs. (kitchener.ca) By the end of June, that assessment is due to be presented to Waterloo regional council, Mancini said. A Better Tent City’s website continues to list the Ardelt Avenue site as home to 42 cabins and more than 50 residents while the transition proceeds. (kitchener.citynews.ca)