Homeless Camps Popping Up in Woodstock

Friday, 11 June 2021 11:01

A video on Facebook is shedding a light on homeless camps in Woodstock, with one recently discovered near Bysham Park Drive.

WOODSTOCK - Homeless camps or "tent cities" are popping up in Woodstock.

One was recently discovered in the bush, just off Bysham Park Drive and there are others in the City as well. The homeless situation is well known in Woodstock right now and there is no simple solution. Woodstock is hardly the only city dealing with this issue. Drive down the Highway to any neighbouring City, whether it's Brantford, London, or K-W and they are all experiencing similar issues. The difference in Woodstock, is it has really come to the fore front over the past two years.

The common conception among the public, is the homeless are being shipped into Woodstock. However a recent study from the Social Planning Council of Oxford found the opposite. The majority (60%) of individuals that participated in the survey have been living in Oxford County for at least 10 years, with 26% of respondents stating that they have always lived here and only 10% stating that they have lived here for under one year. You can read the results of that study online here.

Last week, a homeless person was stationed outside the Heart FM studios. We spoke with him and he told us that he just gotten out of jail and the shelters wouldn't accept him. He said he was dropped off in Woodstock and had no where to go. We gave the man something to eat and a few bucks and he tried to set up camp inside a large tree on Norwich Ave, before finally moving on to the next location.

Yesterday, members of the Facebook group, Woodstock Theft and Neighbourhood Watch posted a video of one of the camps in the bush on Bysham Park Drive. In the video you could clearly see their set up, which included discarded needles, propane tanks, a lawn mower, a generator, various power tools, bikes and camping supplies. Speaking with Heart FM, the woman who shot the video said they went into the camp to look for some items that had recently been stolen from their family business. This of course is very dangerous and police will always discourage this kind of behaviour.

Oxford County and Woodstock City council have set up committees to address some of the issues and more affordable housing is being built this summer on Parkinson Road.