Calgary municipal party proposes ‘no rough sleeping’ zone around Stephen Avenue

A no rough-sleeping zone in and around Stephen Avenue is part of a comprehensive plan proposed by the Calgary Party to improve public safety.

Brian Thiessen, the party leader who is poised to take a run for the mayor’s chair in the upcoming municipal election, says it’s just one proposal in a much larger public safety platform.

He says the city isn’t adequately addressing the issue of homelessness and that’s something his party would make a priority if elected in October.

Social disorder — from vandalism to crime and public overdoses — continue to pose problems for businesses. It also creates issues for other Calgarians who come downtown, including many visitors who end up along the high-traffic stretch of Stephen Avenue. 

“We should house those people, let’s make sure they have a safe place to live, temporary and permanent shelter and let’s give them support,” Thiessen says.

He also understands why some opt to sleep outside. 

“People who are homeless are worried about their safety as well, so they will often sleep in public parts or on park benches or on Stephen Avenue so they are monitored if they have a health issue or to prevent theft,” he says.

Thiessen says the city is falling short of its own goals when it comes to providing housing options which would be an alternative to people resorting to sleeping on the streets. 

The proposal to enforce overnight sleeping zones within a two to three block radius of Stephen Avenue is just part of the party’s plan. 

It’s bigger and first goal would be to address the housing issue and ensure round-the-clock support plans that integrate police with social agencies and transit.

Shaundra Bruvall, with Alpha House, says it works closely with businesses, police and partners to offer a “direct, compassionate and effective response to street level issues, like rough sleeping in downtown Calgary.

“New ideas and perspectives are extremely important and multi-pronged approaches are critical, but as a long-time operator of city-wide Outreach Programs we are cautious of ideas that suggest we will be able to enforce our way out of community issues,” she adds. 

The City of Calgary tells 660 NewsRadio it recently added two additional Vulnerable Persons Teams to proactively connect with vulnerable people and link them to resources. When necessary, they encourage people to move along. Enforcement, however, is typically a last resort.

The Calgary Party’s public safety platform also includes introducing safe drop-off and pick up zones for restaurant and bar patrons in the evenings, and increased waste collection and sanitation in alleys adjacent to Stephen Avenue.

Sandra Clark, president and CEO of the Calgary Drop In Centre (DI), says everyone deserves to be safe.

“Calgary’s shelter system has space and support available for anyone in need,” she says. 

“We encourage people to come inside, access services, and take steps toward ending their experience with homelessness for good. The DI is low-barrier, housing-focused shelter that is open 24/7, seven days per week.”

About 650 people choose the DI as a place to sleep each night.

The Spring City Survey shows 94 per cent of Calgarians want more to be done to fix safety issues downtown. 

Thiessen says it’s something that needs to be addressed for those who sleep rough on city streets and all those impacted by the social disorder associated with the ongoing issue of homelessness. 

“An association of all the security officers that work in buildings downtown and their security officers are administering NARCAN (to reverse drug overdoses) multiple times a day, we had a violent incident with security officers, we have social disorder downtown and people feel unsafe,” he says