
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.
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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.
Kevin Nantais says
This is a real problem. There is a “safe injection site” located a stones throw from a busy kids park and the public library. My family and I live on 3rd ave and it has been an ongoing issue since we moved in. People camping out in building doorways, using drugs in plain sight of kids. It’s insane. When you call the police about it, guess what? They can’t do anything, and if they can… The people are right back out the same day. It’s super frustrating when you spend a million dollars on a condo thinking you will be able to raise you’re family in a safe place. When in reality, my 13 year old is scared to go outside after dark. Something needs to be done
Jennifer McGlynn says
Under One Roof had a great idea, then the pandemic blew all their programs and plans to smithereens.
The homeless congregate outside, fight and scream in the streets, and now they’ve created a tent city behind the building. No one feels comfortable approaching them or engaging them.
My husband and I had plans to implement health screenings, cooking classes, and other programs, but the current situation has created an “us against them” vibe. It’s very depressing. If we had young children, we’d be terrified for them.
Our adult son has a home in the Artisan, and we also own a condo there. We had plans for our commercial space on Main St, but our “location” was deemed a liability in our business plan. Such a bummer!
I want to see these tragic souls as human beings that need our help, but it’s so difficult. Addiction is just horrific for all of us.
What should be done?
T says
I live at the Artisan and affected by this on a daily basis. I am trying to raise my young daughter here and it has been mentally difficult due to the concern and fear these problems have cost. Some families that I know of had the same issue and had to make tough decisions to move away. We don’t feel safe, I have reach out to RCMP many many times, even spoken to the mayor at the library, also it has been disappointing at many levels when reaching out to Under One Roof. I don’t feel the care, any respect or help from these issues. The only answer i would get is this is a community problem, we are all in it. But why are we the one left to clean up this mess? And the some could deny responsibility for this issue? I didn’t imagine coming to Squamish would be like this. I am just trying to have a family and to raise a young one.
C says
I live at the Artisan and volunteer at Under One Roof. I frequently encounter folks in the community who appear to be utilizing drugs and experience nothing but kindness from them. In fact, when people are sleeping on our front steps they are exceptionally apologetic and embarrassed. I urge folks to get out, volunteer, and meet all the folks that reside in your community. I also urge folks to rely on statistics, as opposed to their feelings in these circumstances. Yes, I understand how it can feel scary to walk around folks who are in an altered state, but there is 0 research that shows these folks are a danger to you. We are all in this together and the only way we can win is by working together, not by othering folks who are in a worse situation than your own.
Heather Lang says
I am a home owner in the Aqua building. A group of us met with council over a year ago and was told they would work on the issue, we heard nothing as the situation has gotten worse. My view from my home is multiple tents, garbage strewn everywhere which ends in the estuary, seeing people defecating and urinating, being woken at 3:00 or 4:00am 3-4 times weekly with screaming foul language and fighting. This situation is not acceptable.
Ian says
Statistics for direct physical harm (like assault) from addicts or homeless might be very low, but that says nothing about the harm of broken crack pipes, used needles, and loose drugs on the ground. It says nothing about the mental harm of hearing screaming fights in the street during the middle of the night. It says nothing about the community degradation from garbage and human excrement piling up. It shouldn’t require the threat of physical harm for this problem to be taken seriously. To be clear, the problem is not drug addicts and homeless people. The problem is the consequences that come from the actions of some members of that community. Those people need to be held accountable for their actions, and more resources need to be provided to keep downtown a safe and livable community.
Another C says
Love this. Thanks for sharing.
P says
Gang related issue is not dangerous to you or young children? Needles everywhere on the ground is not dangerous to you or young children? Break in is not dangerous? How about urine by your doorstep? How about aggressive behavior around the blocks? Why are these problems can be acceptable? It really isn’t. You aren’t seeing the whole picture. We shouldn’t be “in it together ” like the mission statement you want say but left to facing these problems ourself with no real solution. This is the fact, all these are happening, you can’t say there is zero research or evidence.
C says
I unfortunately think my point is being missed. My point is that we all live in the same community, and we must deal with the issues we are facing as a community. Under One Roof runs a street cleanup program almost daily, go volunteer and record your hours and what you cleaned up and bring it to council to try to effect some change. Under One Roof runs a coldest night of the year challenge to raise money for local charities, go volunteer and see what it feels like to sleep outside for one night. Under One Roof runs multiple more projects – go volunteer and meet these folks you are so scared of and your opinion on them will quickly change. The point is that by making the issue us versus them all we do is argue and the problem will never get solved. We are all 1-2 steps away from being homeless, we all have addictions they are just not as present as those who live on the streets. I do not have to participate in my addictions on someone’s doorstep because I can do it in the safety of my home. Go to council meetings, bang on the doors and ask for more safe housing, more cleanup crews, more rehabilitation centers, better staffing at all these facilities, more pay for those staff members, etc. Unfortunately yelling about folks who are literally doing their best to survive is not the answer.
Another C. says
I 100% support your view. Thank you for humanizing the situation. I work in a similar role and see front-line homelessness and addictions. There is so much shame felt by folks struggling. Keeping the heart of the issues at a distance never solves anything. The real issue is that our society let them slip through the cracks. So yes, get out and get stats to share with the District Council. One day the issues that brought about situations related to these scared and helpless folks could align for your children or someone you know one day in the future. So please be kind in your approach to solve this problem.
ron says
C says: “I unfortunately think my point is being missed. My point is that we all live in the same community, and we must deal with the issues we are facing as a community.”
This comes across as more virtue-signaling than a real solution. While your efforts are well-intended, simply calling it a ‘community problem’ does nothing to address it. We all need to apply real pressure on federal and provincial representatives—our Members of Parliament—who have the power to create change.
Government inaction, along with failures from both law enforcement and the community, has only made things worse. Unless there’s a concrete, workable plan, volunteering at a shelter won’t fix the root of the problem.
Also, like Vancouver, there is no psychiatric hospital, and police are not qualified in that regard. Is there even a place where they can get clean from drugs or mental support in Squamish?
There is being homeless, and then there is being homeless on drugs or mentally ill, creating havoc to their neighbours. We shouldn’t have to put up with that. The community hasn’t failed; the system and those in charge have. Hold them accountable for a working solution.
Kenny B says
folks, on folks, on folks
Steve says
Wow that amazing that’s your experience and it’s great that you volunteer and try to make a difference, people are scared and they have a right to voice their feelings and concerns because it’s a very frustrating and sad situation down there , its not all the people at under one roof it’s a few but those few have an impact on people the way they behave , and I get it most of them are in survival mode and don’t have the awareness of respect and thinking of others especially in addiction , I have empathy for that, the encampment i get it I would do the same if I was in their position, I don’t blame them for that at all, but it’s not safe to be outside in the woods is it ? Especially in the winter cold or in the summer when bears are going through there? The garbage is not being cleaned as promised , and there have been tons of disruptions out there over the years with fighting, bangers going off , all times of the night especially in the warmer months, how is that community? Where are the people that are hired to work with these issues ? We had portables during covid for people that were homeless , where are those now ? I get it’s complex but again people have their experiences with this and have feelings around it and deserve to be heard and validated, everyone involved does.
Chris says
The District of Squamish Mayor and Council in their wisdom to locate a “Safe injection site” within the vicinity of a children’s park and public library is completely irresponsible. With ever-increasing frequency, the community facility of “Under One Roof” unfortunate homeless people are spilling into the nearby streets of downtown Squamish. They struggle with mental health and addictions. While these less fortunates benefit from “social support and well-being” the local community is unsafe with little or no support. The Mayor and council must accept responsibility for their lack of wisdom and foresight and immediately incorporate a safety action plan. The safety of our children, law abiding, tax paying, citizens and businesses must be a priority.
The October 22nd, 2020 Editorial states: “Under One Roof is meant to bring Squamish together”
This unfortunately is not the case.
L says
Just a reminder, that we are expecting people with no resources to fix a problem, when we have all the resources. It’s also really interesting that none of you have ever tried to have a conversation with them about what some of these barriers are. And the way you talk about them like they are dangerous to engage with is stigmatizing and damaging. Sure maybe once in a while but for the most part they are just people struggling. Because they don’t have all the things that you have that make so you’re not struggling. Also remember that when you come home after a long day or a bad experience you get to have a breakdown in your car, or crash in your bed for a week if you need to, and when you do drugs or alcohol with your friends, it is considered fine because you have a private place to do it. Not everybody has that, and they deserve to have a space where they can be out of the elements. I saw one commenter here saying it’s hard to see them as humans that’s saying a lot about you. Anything you have to say about a homeless person, or a drug addict, turn it around on yourself. Why aren’t you doing anything with your life? Why are you afraid? Of somebody else’s suffering? Why are you opposed to people suffering in public, because they have nowhere private. I understand there are actual legitimate problems I’m just asking you guys to consider that all the solutions lie within us. Because we are stable safe and privileged.
Gary says
Well, you had me at ‘stigmatizing,’ though I am surprised you didn’t use the word problematic, another favorite word of those who want to shut out others. We are not ‘stigmatizing’ but merely trying to give voice to this traumatizing turn of events in our neighborhood. No one is so cruel as to hate the homeless, but then no one likes to find needles and drugs and shit and urine right outside the places we thought were our homes, our little refuge from the world. No one wants to feel helpless while calling 911 because we know it’s just a band-aid that will come light ablaze, screaming and hooting for a growing festering wound. We all know you don’t treat cancer by slathering an antibiotic cream and tying gauge around it. This cancer is metastasizing, eating away at the healthy tissue that was once Downtown Squamish.
“Why aren’t you doing anything with your life?”
Well, now that is rich, isn’t it ? I guess you are trying to shame people who worked their rear ends to save money so they could buy a small home they (mistakenly) thought would be their slice of paradise. No, we didn’t get swayed by realtor talk; a few years ago, Squamish did really seem like a utopia, the cozy little town away from the big city. You walked along Loggers Lane on a sunny morning and it felt so beautiful you’d have to pinch yourself to reality. Now, walking in that area feels like an antechamber to a house of horrors. It’s one thing to wake up to the bird chirping and quite another to wake up to the sound of two people fighting over something trivial. Our politicians and our so-called community leaders seem to have locked themselves in their little anechoic chambers. You can scream all you want, but they will only come to tell you a morality tale in which the homebuyers are the villains ‘stigmatizing’ the homeless.
C says
I think folks forget that we are all closer to homelessness than to being wealthy. Instead of engaging with the homeless community they shutter at the thought because they cannot see themselves in these folks. As an Artisan resident I can 100% tell you all these folks do not want to be on the street. We frequently bring coffee and treats to the ones hanging around our place and they are nothing but kind, considerate, and apologetic for their lived realities. I really wish people did what you asked them to do, really thought about why they are afraid. I think we would all have a lot more empathy if we recognized the fact that we are all deeply scared of being homeless and having our private lives displayed for all to see.
Doggie says
Invite them to your home. Give them a bed to sleep, too.
Lola says
As a resident renting in the Artisan building and a 30 yr.(now retired) Emergency Paramedic who has ‘seen some things’ , I can attest to the ongoing issues with living next to ‘Under one Roof’. Crack pipes, the packaging from the crack pipes, matchbooks and candles to heat their drugs, used needles (all from their free drug kits) strewn about on the sidewalks. Never did I ever think I’d utter the words “can you please not smoke your crack under my window”!
Picturesque, downtown Squamish is normally quiet. However, this past summer was a revolving door of verbal and physical fights….NIGHTLY.
Screaming, yelling, arguing over $$ owed or bikes being taken. I want you to imagine the cycle of being woken from deep sleep with yelling, like it was at the foot of your bed. Calling RCMP, waiting for help to arrive, the situation finally deescalating, to being able to fall asleep……until it happens again, 2 hrs later .
After multiple emails to the management of the facility, I was told that “noise dampening trees” were planted, signs were erected outside to state “quiet times” between 10pm-0800 am and that cameras were outside to supervise the “drug use”….plus, it’s a “community issue and what suggestions did I have”
Don’t get me started on the Food Bank. It’s the gathering mecca for climbers, enjoying a small reunion with buddies as they fill their bags with food and then head down to the farmers market to enjoy a $6 artisan drink.
We’ve asked! No ID’s required. You don’t have to be a Squamish local to use the service. It’s a loophole they were waiting to “fix”
I have photos of gatherings, some playing music or dogs fighting.
I tried to exit the underground parkade door, to be met by a homeless guy yelling “wait, don’t come out I’m naked and changing” to fully constructed tarps and shopping buggies blocking the exit/entrance to the door.
We’ve had a homeless woman pull down her pants and urinate by our front door.
We’ve been yelled at to “get back in your f&@king house” when we say anything.
I have been shamed by RCMP, who tell me their hands are tied and add “you chose to live across from a Homeless Shelter”.
I’ve watched people shooting up drugs, on the sidewalk in front of the facility. All I can say is HOW? WHY? was this beautiful, 4 story, BOUGIE facility, built in a residential area AND if it there…..WHY is the choas reaching outside, spilling into the neighbourhood. The deplorable “tent city” is spilling out the back into the estuary.
You know who wouldn’t make “bad neighbours ?”
A seniors residence!
Gord S says
All levels of Government have caused this across Canada. Government can’t fix it as they only make thing worse or more expensive. Try and stay positive and just keep paying the taxes and the increase in your property tax every year I am sure they will get it fixed for us.
Andrew says
One would think that looking out our windows from our perfect lives we would see a perfect world. But no, alas it is not so. Someone’s son, someone’s daughter, father or mother is there. And they aren’t having a great life. They are suffering and fighting to find a moment of comfort in their very skin. Their loved ones are suffering at the loss of the people they used to be, broken and ashamed and scared. You might take this as an opportunity to do better. We are the lucky ones. Our children might very well be there one day, all it takes is the first step in the wrong direction.
We very well might be inconvenienced, but we are not immune to the problem.
Love unconditionally.
C says
Andrew, this was very beautiful. Thank you for the beacon of light this morning and reminding us to view others with respect and kindness.
Laurie Cates says
This is what happens when the people that build your community can’t afford to live in it.
Laura says
The situation is getting worse…not better. Its time for everyone to sit down and course correct. Police, the District, UOR staffers need to come up with a plan. Downtown families and homeowners do not deserve this this level of disturbance. Perhaps there needs to be more barriers put in place around substance use. Enabling it to continue in a “safe” manner is not helping anyone. Radical change is required.
Rachel says
Giving boundaries and rules to be respected by the residents of UOR is not too much to ask. Why are we prioritizing their “rights” to do as they please and not respect the rights of our kids to have a safe space to grow up. My kids’ bus stop is at the corner of main and 2nd, and there have been situations where open packages of drugs are left at the bus stop. Where fights and arguments have broken out. When they are woken up to scary screaming arguments in the middle of the night. Why are we not protecting our children? Allowing residents of UOR to do as they please is not helping them or loving them or our children.
T says
I totally agree on this. Residents at UOR or users should hold responsibility and respect the neighbors here. Children in this area needs to be protected from all these issues.
K. Westward says
More money than ever is flowing into addiction and homeless programs and yet the problem worsens every year. Do we think the rampant corruption being exposed in the US is isolated? Every level of Government in Canada is rotten. Why do you think your local ‘leaders’ won’t act?
Ron says
If you walk into a police station, mall, bank, or any private business and start smoking and screaming, you’ll be shut down immediately. Society has rules that everyone must follow, regardless of mental well-being. There are no free passes—we have laws and boundaries for a reason.
Those who disagree should look up the term “virtue signaling.” The neighbors who pay taxes and have worked hard for what they’ve earned deserve a safe and peaceful environment. Their rights are being ignored, and the system has failed them too. It’s a two-way street.
This isn’t about individual control; the city is in charge. While community involvement matters, this issue extends beyond that level. Simply saying “be compassionate and help out” oversimplifies the problem. Go back to the first sentence and really think about what that means.