Volunteer fears residents will freeze at homeless encampment in Hay River, N.W.T. - CBC

More than 20 people have been staying at an encampment that appeared last summer behind the old fish plant in Hay River, N.W.T., a town of about 3,300 people. (Submitted by Linda Nixon)Social SharingMore than 20 people are sleeping under tarps at an encampment in Hay River, N.W.T. Linda Nixon just wants to make sure they don't freeze to death this month.

"My objective is just to keep people alive," she said.

Nixon, a retiree, spoke with CBC News while recently dropping off a cord of wood. She paid for it herself, with the help of donations, but says it will only last the encampment a few days. She encourages people there to try to avoid burning it during the day if they can and instead "save it for the night." 

She's one of a number of local residents who are volunteering to help people living at the encampment, in the town of about 3,300 people.

"People are saying we're enabling, but the fact is they're here and a lot of people die of hypothermia. And I don't want to see that happen."

The encampment appeared behind the old fish plant over the summer. Most of the structures aren't tents, but rather are cobbled together with tarps, plywood and other material.

Nixon says the Town of Hay River hasn't been doing much beyond talking about what's happening.

The town did not return requests for comment.

James Tolley, director of homelessness with Housing N.W.T., says the territory is watching the situation. 

"Housing N.W.T. understands that local groups, including local governments, are actively working to provide this site with supports, which includes daily wellness checks, and alternative shelter services," he said in a statement. 

According to Tolley, the encampment is located partially on Commissioner's Land, under the territory's jurisdiction, and partly on federally-owned land.

RCMP said officers are doing weekly patrols, and responding to calls at the encampment site. In addition, an RCMP spokesperson said they're working with stakeholders to help residents, but no other police interventions are planned at this time.

David Sanguez, who's staying at the encampment, said he's warm enough for now. He has a small fire set up outside his shelter but no wood stove or other source of heat. 

"It stays fairly warm in there," he said. 

Sanguez has been staying at the encampment since last summer, after he says he was banned from the men's shelter in Hay River. He says there used to be other places where he and his friends could set up couches or lean-tos, but after repeatedly being forced to move along, they decided to establish the encampment. 

Still, he says, it's not where he wants to be. 

"I'm not liking it as much as I thought I would," he said. "For the majority of my youth I went out camping in the winter and I loved it. And it's not quite the same."

Sanguez says that before ending up in the shelter, he had been evicted from a housing unit. Before it gets colder, he's hoping to move on to addiction treatment in Alberta. 

A bed in the Hay River men's shelter. The territory says there are still spaces available, but many encampment residents say they don't want to go. (Anna Desmarais/CBC)

The territory says there is still space in the town's men's shelter, which offers 15 beds. But many encampment residents say they don't want to go. 

"We just take care of each other," Sanguez said.

Nixon hasn't seen an encampment like this in Hay River before. She's worked with people experiencing homelessness before but says she's seeing new faces she doesn't recognize. 

"We seem to have more people. I don't know where they're coming from, maybe they hear Hay River is a good place to be."

For now, Nixon is going to help where she can.

"You gotta keep people alive until they can get to a point where they can help themselves, right?"

Jessica Davey-Quantick has been reporting in the North since 2016. She holds a Bachelor of Journalism (Honours) from the University of King's College, and a Master of Arts in Cultural Studies from Queen's University for her thesis, Dumpcano: Waste Management and Environmental Justice in Iqaluit. You can reach her at jessica.davey-quantick@cbc.ca.