A Downtown Squamish worker is urging local officials to take action against what she describes as a worsening crisis related to drug use and homelessness in the area. In her letter to the district, Dana Wood, who works in a Second Ave. office, says the situation has become unmanageable for local businesses, residents, and employees.
“On a very regular basis, we clean up broken crack pipes and, on occasion, used needles, which I understand are distributed to users by Under One Roof,” she said. “Frequently, we must ask stoned or intoxicated individuals to move along from outside our office door or from the doorways of townhouse residents.”
Wood described a distressing daily reality, including finding garbage, urine, feces, vomit, and drugs outside the building. She said young children who live in the Artisan building or wait for the bus at the corner of Second and Main are exposed to these conditions. “It fills me with a horrible feeling to see our beautiful community facing such a sad and unfortunate reality,” she said.
Despite attempts to seek solutions, Wood said responses from authorities have been unclear. “We have tried speaking to the RCMP and Under One Roof about these issues, but there doesn’t seem to be a clear resolution,” she said. Wood is now calling on the mayor and District Council to provide “actionable solutions” and clarify what is being done to address the issue.
“What do residents do when they step outside their homes to find an intoxicated person lying on the sidewalk? People are scared, uncomfortable, and afraid of conflict or for their safety,” she wrote in her letter.
“Having to clean up used needles and garbage outside our doors.”
Meanwhile, another downtown resident, Carlos Romero, echoed similar concerns about the growing number of homeless people in the downtown area.
“We’ve seen an increase of homeless around downtown. This is an issue affecting the community, with dogs getting sick from eating drugs left in the street, constantly having to clean up used needles and garbage outside our doors, and dealing with people camping in the premises of the buildings,” he said.
Carlos also questioned if the municipality had any plans to deal with this. “I don’t think there is a plan from the municipality to deal with it, and if there is a plan, it has not been properly communicated,” he said. He also noted that the encampment behind the Under One Roof building “seems to be growing without any boundaries.”
Having lived in Squamish for 3.5 years, Carlos said the problem has escalated significantly recently. “I do not recall anyone camping in the building premises when I moved to Squamish 3.5 years ago. Now it’s happening a few times a month,” he said. Carols says he has picked up needles and trash, and people have set up camp and blocked doors to the building. “We have had to call the RCMP a few times already,” he said.
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