Whitehorse needs campsite downtown for people experiencing homelessness, advocate says [Video]

The executive director of Yukon advocacy group Safe at Home says the City of Whitehorse could help the housing crisis by providing an area for people to legally camp in the city. 

On Monday, Kate Mechan addressed city council to suggest that as an interim solution to a crisis she says is getting worse. 

“We’re seeing an increase in families experiencing homelessness, a 58-per-cent increase in the number of people who are feeling like they have no other option but to potentially camp,” she told councillors. 

Mechan said that there are at least 228 homeless individuals in Whitehorse, and she called on the city to take a more proactive approach by donating or setting aside land on a seasonal basis for them.

That would allow people who have no option but to camp to “do so with dignity and supports,” she said. 

Currently, this kind of encampment would be illegal. 

“The city’s bylaws don’t allow camping in public …