DOWNTOWN SHELTERS ERECT FENCES TO CURB DRUGS, BAD BEHAVIOUR

Shepherds Of Good Hope, Ottawa Mission Want To Provide Clients With A
'Sanctuary'

A pair of downtown shelters will use fences on their properties after
problems with drug dealing, misbehaviour and outsiders.

The Shepherds of Good Hope finished erecting a fence at 256 King
Edward Ave. on Tuesday, while The Ottawa Mission plans to build a
fence around a smoking area on its property, at the corner of Besserer
and Waller streets, within about a month.

The Shepherds' fence was planned this summer, after numerous problems
with drug dealing and poor behaviour from outsiders, said Paul Soucie,
executive director of the Shepherds.

The idea is to create a "sanctuary" or "safety zone" where people
staying at the shelter can go outside to smoke or chat away from drug
dealers and troublemakers, he said.

The fence, which is made of steel and is almost two metres high, cost
about $11,000, Mr. Soucie said. Cameras will also be installed to
monitor the area, he said.

"We can't patrol the streets with our employees, but what we can do is
take charge of our own space, and basically say, 'If you're going to
be in our space, these are our expect-ations'," Mr. Soucie said.

Meanwhile, The Ottawa Mission plans to build a fence around a smoking
area on its property, after shelter residents complained that people
who were not staying at the shelter were frequenting the area, said
executive director Diane Morrison.

"It became a concern," said Ms. Morrison.

Mr. Soucie said drug use and dealing are common problems downtown, and
were especially bad in the summer, when drugs were cheap.

"It was all over the place, and an all-night thing. What we tried to
do was address that issue," he said.

The problem also got worse after a nearby Salvation Army location
hired security guards, which pushed many problems down the road, Mr.
Soucie said.

"A lot more people that were misbehaving in other places were shifting
our way," he said.

About two weeks ago, the Shepherds closed its drop-in program for two
days to send a message that drug use, drug dealing and misbehaviour
"is not going to be tolerated," Mr. Soucie said.

After reopening, a "zero-tolerance" attitude was implemented toward
bad behaviour and drugs, Mr. Soucie said.