An organization that provides support to the city's unhoused population through its community health van is continuing to search for a suitable space to park after city staff told them they could no longer stop the van in a location determined to be the most accessible by those who use it.
Sanguen Health Centre has been helping people at The Bridges since 2017, but in March the Waterloo-based organization was told it can no longer park in a live lane of traffic next to the shelter; a move the organization says severed a valuable lifeline for those living in the area.
"Since late March, efforts to secure a suitable van stop near the Bridges Shelter have not yielded a result and the stop continues to be suspended," said Julie Kalbfleisch director of communications for Sanguen.
"Sadly, this suspension has resulted in a concerning decrease in the number of individuals accessing our services, particularly those who relied on us for healthcare and social support, notably women who frequented our Market Street stop."
The van continues to provide services in other parts of the region, including access to naloxone kits, emergency contraception, clothing, supportive counselling and testing for sexually transmitted infections.
Sanguen also provides information to the public on what to do if they find needles, instruction on how to help someone who is overdosing or just someone to talk to.
Kalbfleisch said Sanguen staff are worried because individuals who used the van regularly before the service stopped are not making it to any other healthcare services in the city.
The setback is not deterring the organization from servicing Cambridge, Kalbfleisch said, as they continue to explore options to find a resolution that will work for the community.
The City of Cambridge confirmed in an email to CambridgeToday that the van has been banned from parking on the street next to The Bridges shelter after it ignored repeated requests to leave the area.
"The City had provided multiple warnings and have advised the van not to park in this location but to seek other options through the region or the Bridges for parking and providing their services," said Alana Russell, director of communications for the city.
Russell said numerous complaints from the public forced the city to ban the van from parking on the street.
"A parking exemption that was requested earlier this year was denied for a variety of reasons," wrote Russell.
"Emergency vehicles need to be able to have access to the road and to respond effectively. Fire trucks would not be able to pass or park properly if the roadway was blocked. The roadway only allows for a single lane of traffic on either side."
The city added that inviting pedestrians, their belongings and supplies into a live lane of traffic is a clear safety issue.
This is another example of Cambridge creating what Kalbfleisch calls a "service desert for social support," especially for women.
"I think there is a need to help the community understand what Sanguen and other agencies like us are doing," she said. "We are worried, especially about the women in the community and in particular for women experiencing housing instability."
