Temporary shelters opening for P.E.I. homeless during hurricane Fiona at Charlottetown Event Grounds, Jack Blanchard Centre

CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Bre Emily has been dwelling in a tent in downtown Charlottetown for the previous month, however it’s not the primary time the 20-year-old has needed to sleep tough.

She grew up in a bunch dwelling till ageing out at 17. Since then, it’s been backwards and forwards between housing and homelessness. She had an residence for eight months however had misplaced it a couple of month earlier than talking with SaltWire on Sept. 21.

And now, with hurricane Fiona barrelling down on P.E.I., Emily and her friends are about to maneuver once more. She’s trying on the Charlottetown Occasion Grounds, a couple of blocks from the tent encampment the place she’s presently staying.

Short-term areas

Folks sleeping in tents are allowed to remain briefly on the occasion grounds this weekend in preparation for the storm, an announcement from the Division of Social Improvement and Housing stated on Sept. 21.

“People who’ve been staying at a short lived encampment (close to Holland Faculty) … can be requested to relocate on Thursday, Sept. 22 to a devoted space on the Charlottetown Occasion Grounds for in a single day shelter. The location can have entry to bathroom services.”

These shelters can be in place till the modular items the province is promising are arrange on Park Road. 

Different individuals battling homelessnessare inspired to go to a short lived shelter that can be arrange from Sept. 22-Sept. 25 at Jack Blanchard Corridor, 7 Pond St., if the storm really hits P.E.I. This shelter can have cot-style beds, bedding, meals and water, the assertion stated.

The issue for Emily, although, is an absence of communication. She solely heard in regards to the plan to maneuver tents to the occasion grounds throughout SaltWire’s interview with one in all her friends on Sept. 21.

“Why was nobody telling me this?” she stated to Will Larkin, a fellow tenter, when he gave her the information. “Nobody tells me something.”

“My tent is leaking water, so I don’t even know. I attempted the tarps, however nothing labored. So, I would simply go and sleep at a financial institution for a bit, I don’t know.” – Bre Emily

Emily lives with schizophrenia, which goes untreated. She additionally struggles with PTSD from dangerous experiences in group houses, making shelters like Blooming Home inaccessible.

By way of storm preparation, Emily isn’t sure what to do.

“There’s nothing actually to do. I contacted 211, they usually do nothing. They simply gave me a bunch of, like, hyperlinks to determine it out, just about,” she stated. “My tent is leaking water, so I don’t even know. I attempted the tarps, however nothing labored. So, I would simply go and sleep at a financial institution for a bit, I don’t know.”

Climate preparation

Larkin, nonetheless, has a couple of extra concepts, a few of which he needed to attempt throughout the rain on Sept. 20.

As Emily talked about, many individuals on the encampment are utilizing tarps over their tents to repel a number of the rain. The bottom, although, is one other drawback, particularly within the flood-prone space the place Larkin and Emily are staying.

For this, Larkin has a makeshift platform for his mattress to maintain it out of the mud.

“I took a type of racks … the skinny, metal rod ones, seems like one thing they’d have at Worth Village to carry golf golf equipment and stuff,” he stated in a Sept. 21 interview with SaltWire. “It’s like two toes excessive. I’ve obtained that at one finish (of my mattress), a few boards. Simply items, simply recycling items.”

However with a hurricane on the way in which, this received’t be sufficient. Larkin is heading to the Charlottetown Occasion Grounds.

“It’s a greater system than what they’d,” he stated, noting the presence of porta potties.

Through the interviews, two group members dropped off burgers from Wendy’s, together with different objects equivalent to Gatorade.

Larkin additionally spoke about two ladies who had dropped off a bag filled with blankets the night time earlier than.

When requested what else the broader group can do to assist, Emily pointed to these in energy, calling on officers to really preserve their guarantees.

Wanting in the direction of this winter, she hopes to get into one of many province’s promised modular houses however suspects these beds will go to individuals who have been on the road for longer.

Within the meantime, Emily spoke in regards to the cycle she’s caught in and the way she all the time feels alone.

“I really feel gone, misplaced. I’ve been misplaced for some time.”

Logan MacLean is a range reporter with the SaltWire Community in Prince Edward Island. He may be reached by e-mail at [email protected] and adopted on Twitter @loganmaclean94.