Chatham-Kent council has received the final report and recommendations of the Encampment Advisory Committee, directing administration to evaluate the committee’s recommendations alongside a separate consultant-led review of the municipality’s encampment bylaw and the Pathways on Park transitional housing program.
The recommendations were presented to council by committee chair Lynn O’Brien at the Oct. 5 meeting. Council directed administration to report back no later than May 31, 2027, with an analysis of the recommendations, the findings of the consultant review, implementation options, cost estimates and any policy direction required.
Council also approved an amendment, moved by Chatham Councillor Marjorie Crew, directing administration to report back to the Nov. 23 meeting specifically on the committee’s proposals to rename the body the Homelessness Prevention and Response Committee, expand its terms of reference, and include representation from each ward.
In a separate motion, council approved, as amended, a motion by Councillor Amy Finn to extend the Encampment Advisory Committee to May 31, 2027.
The committee was formed after the downtown Chatham homeless encampment was relocated to the Public Utilities Commission property on Grand Avenue East in July 2025, ahead of a slope stabilization project at the former Rotary Park site. The move drew significant public safety concerns from area residents, and the Chatham-Kent Police Service fielded more than 140 calls regarding the property in July 2025 alone, prompting officials to redirect non-emergency complaints to the municipality’s 311 line.
Council unanimously approved the creation of the committee in September 2025. Made up of councillors, area residents, business owners, municipal staff and people with lived experience, the committee held its inaugural meeting in March 2026 and met eight times through September, receiving deputations and presentations from Housing Services, Chatham-Kent Police Service, Chatham-Kent Fire and Emergency Services, Reach Out Chatham-Kent, Chatham-Kent EMS and the Canadian Mental Health Association.
The committee’s report includes 32 recommendations covering housing and shelter actions, governance, funding, accountability, encampment bylaw enforcement, and the potential repurposing of municipal assets. Among them, the committee called for a coordinated Housing Resolution Team to connect people experiencing homelessness to housing, an emergency shelter away from residential neighbourhoods where possible, and a Chatham-Kent 2030 Homelessness and Encampment Reduction Strategy.
The committee noted that while its recommendations were formally approved, consensus was not achieved on the report as a whole.
