Months after being criticized for a virtual reporting system that some believed was designed as a way to anonymously snitch on encampments, the City of Cambridge has revised its online Service Cambridge portal.
The portal, which allows residents to report and make requests on a variety of issues around the city such as parking complaints and facility requests, was never meant to invoke evictions of encampments, the city says.
“The reporting function for encampments is in no way intended to initiate evictions,” Julie Kalbfleisch, office of the city manager said.
“We recognize that homelessness is a complex issue as a result of a national housing and affordability crisis, which has only gotten worse through the pandemic.”
Kalbfleisch admits that receiving complaints about the former system prompted the city to reevaluate the way residents submit information.
“Since receiving complaints about the button through the media and social media, the communications team along with the bylaw team have reviewed the page and made updates to both the page and the approach,” she said.
One of the main changes was a landing page with one button for reporting or requesting clean-up as opposed to having a separate button for encampments.
The landing page features information about encampments, housing and homelessness within the community. Also included in the reworked system is a description of how the city’s bylaw team works and framing around what will happen when someone reports an issue.
People submitting requests will also be required to leave contact information, something that was not required before.
The question about whether police should be contacted has been removed and so has the function to report with no further action.
“This reporting function for encampments is in place to notify city staff that there are people living in a space like an encampment so that we can ensure we are providing connections and support through our outreach partners,” Kalbfleisch said.
“Otherwise, staff would have no way of knowing where there are people living across the city, hindering our ability to provide necessary services.”
Kalbfleisch points out that the city’s bylaw team has formed relationships with those living in encampments and care about their well-being.
In the event of severe weather or a fire, the city needs to know where people are living in order to provide critical services.
City staff will strive to connect vulnerable people with social services, act as a resource for general information on city operations, request voluntary compliance with city ordinances and perform general cleanup.
“Ultimately, we will continue to work with our partners to advocate for more availability of affordable and transitional housing.”
To view the online portal visit cambridge.ca.
