A growing homeless encampment in the southeast Calgary is sparking concern among area residents and local business owners.
The encampment sits in an alley behind a strip mall in the 3900 block of 17 Avenue S.E., in the community of Forest Lawn.
Neighbours say the encampment – which first became visible in late July – is host to many visitors every night and has been the site of multiple disturbances.
“I’ve had people try to sneak in (to my building), especially when it’s raining or on the cooler nights,” said area resident Kristina Quinn. “I’ve had to deal with many fights in the back alleys and complaints from other tenants.”
Another area resident, Alicia Mayers, says she’s worried about the safety of those who live in nearby apartment buildings.
“There’s children, there’s animals and elderly people. Our parking is in the back, right across from (the encampment) and no one wants to take out their garbage.”
While visiting the area on Wednesday, CTV News saw at least ten people filter in and out of the encampment.
An employee of a convenience store that backs onto the alley was too afraid to appear on camera, but says the store is losing customers because of the insistent traffic.
Neighbours say their kids carry a similar fear.
“My daughter is scared of them,” Quinn said. “She doesn’t want to go out in the front yard alone.”
Quinn is one of three nearby neighbours who say they’ve called bylaw officers multiple times to complain.
“They keep on saying they’re going to come out,” Mayers said. “But no one is going anywhere.”
“I do feel for them,” Quinn added. “But unfortunately, they’re just causing a lot of issues and the people around here don’t deserve that.”
Area residents are growing more and more concerned about an encampment in Forest Lawn. CTV News reached out to the City of Calgary in regards to the encampment and the complaints filed with bylaw.
We didn’t receive a response by the time of publishing, but will update this article if and when a response is received.
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