Homeless camp in vacant yard points to need for more resources, Inglewood man says

The number of homeless people trespassing on private property is on the rise, say some Calgary residents.

Inglewood resident Kevin Watkins says he is accustomed to seeing homeless camps in the southeast Calgary neighbourhood, but he recently saw one in an unexpected place.

"We have a lot of people wandering into backyards, but that was the first one that we saw with a tent in a backyard of an abandoned house," he said.

"It's private property. It's people's property. They should probably respect it."

Watkins says he and his neighbours have empathy for Calgary's homeless population, and he'd like to see more resources devoted to helping them, rather than simply making them leave.

"We do understand their plight. We understand the economy's bad. We understand that it can happen to anybody," he said.

"Once the city moves them out, with the lack of resources to put them anywhere … they just go down the street."

Inglewood isn't the only community to see transient people finding shelter on private property.

In Rideau, a security camera captured people camping on back decks, drinking in a backyard and using someone's lawn furniture.

James Maxim, president of the Rideau Roxboro Community Association, says it doesn't help that many people are still rebuilding after the 2013 flood.

"We've regained our homes. We want to regain our community by the fixing of the roads and ensuring that people that are coming into our neighbourhoods are welcomed, and the homelessness and those that want to do damage will stay out of the property," he said.

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