Homelessness is putting increasing pressure on municipal services in Greater Napanee, officials say, with costs and operational demands growing across multiple departments.
A recent report shows the town spent about $75,000 in 2025 responding to issues related to homelessness, including hazardous waste cleanup and legal fees. Fire and police costs, not included in that figure, have also risen as calls for overdoses, fires, and other incidents increase.
Scott Robertson, manager at Prince Edward – Lennox & Addington Social Services (PELASS), said transitional housing is helping and is making a positive difference. Currently, there are 33 people lving in transitional housing every night.
Of those 44 people, many were homeless on the street for multiple years. They have since obtained mental health supports, addressed addition issues, and have moved into permanent housing.
Bylaw staff reported that encampment complaints made up more than a third of all cases last year, requiring hundreds of hours of response time and delaying other services. Fire crews have seen calls rise from 50 in 2023 to 61 in 2025, mostly during winter months when people use fires for warmth and cooking. Parks staff and utilities have faced health and safety challenges, including hazardous materials and vandalism near critical infrastructure.
With this issue depleting from many different departments, Mayor Terry Richardson said we need to treat it like a bad winter.
Council members agreed that more communication, funding, and shared responsibility are needed to reduce the burden on Greater Napanee’s services.
Written by Emily Chatwood
