With spring weather in Calgary, homeless campers are on the rise

Social agencies in Calgary are scrambling to find permanent housing for people as the city's homeless encampments swell with temperatures.

“It's horrible. It's very sad,” said extrajudicial officer Jody St. Pierre as he inspected the contents of the abandoned tent.

“Having said that, I am proud to work with this sector of the population. They are very vulnerable. They have many problems.”

The city says the number of homeless campers usually jumps before the Stampede as more people visit Calgary.

Molly Caldwell, an outreach worker at Alpha House, is part of a group that focuses on people in the parks.

“Our camp group probably has a list of about 40 active camps in the city that we know of,” he said.

Caldwell says the team is trying to find housing for these people whenever possible. But with the tight rental market, finding affordable units isn't easy.