Encampment update highlights success of partnership & outreach

Partnership excellence and efficiencies found in using technology have been highlighted in the latest encampment update to City Council.

The report submitted to Council for the period from August 24 to November 1, highlights the success of connecting people with support services. Outreach staff work with individuals who want assistance and create a plan that focuses on their housing readiness needs with the goal of supporting their transition to safe shelter and housing. More than 80 individuals were connected to support services this period.

Andrew Malcolm, General Manager of the City’s Community Social Development (CSD) department, says while there has been an increase in encampment reports compared to the same time last year, major parks have seen a dramatic decrease.

“There’s been a 65 per cent decrease in encampments in large public spaces like Galt Gardens and Civic Field,” says Malcolm. “One of the goals of the Encampment Strategy was to ensure parks and public spaces are enjoyable for everyone. The data in this report supports the progress our Encampment Response Team is seeing out in the community and that we continue to deliver an effective response in alignment with our strategic goals."

“We are making progress in connecting people to the support services they need while addressing encampments in the city,” says Mayor Blaine Hyggen. “The partnerships supporting this strategy play a key role in its success, and we’re grateful for their help.”

One key partner, Lethbridge Police Service, has been using drones, or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), to identify encampments in more remote locations within the river valley.  

Sgt. Ryan Darroch with the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)

“Our UAV team has saved hours of time and resources by conducting Nav Canada-compliant flights to search the river valley for encampments,” says Sgt. Ryan Darroch. “Our UAV pilot located 6 significantly entrenched encampments in the river valley, along with several other locations where significant debris had been left.”  

Once located, the Encampment Response Team and the Clean Sweep Team are deployed to these pin-pointed GIS locations to remove the debris and limit the negative environmental impact and potential public safety concerns.

“The UAV has also kept staff out of harms way by not having to encounter unknown risks and terrain as they search the river valley,” says Darroch. “We’re looking forward to using the UAV more to provide a greater level of service to the community.”

The next Encampment Strategy update is expected to come to Council in January 2025.

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