Brampton threatens legal action against church supporting vulnerable residents

Brampton, Ont.,’s city council has threatened a local United church and its rental group with legal action if they don’t address health and safety concerns about the group’s operations. But the church says that the city hasn’t provided any help in managing the problem.

Grace United, in Brampton’s downtown core, leases space to Regeneration Outreach Community (ROC), a non-profit organization serving people who experience homelessness, precarious housing situations and poverty. It serves breakfast and lunch and fulfils basic needs like showers, laundry and clothing. Additionally, ROC collaborates with other organizations to provide social support, healthcare, an ID clinic, addiction services, and housing support.

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But residents allege that Regeneration’s presence is leading to criminal activity in the area, including breaking and entering, theft and vandalism, and concerns are being raised about littering and unsanitary conditions outside Grace United.

In mid-July, Brampton city council passed a motion stating a letter would be sent to Regeneration Outreach Community and Grace United, ordering them to address the issues or face legal action. Both parties received the letter on July 28, which contained the letter from the city solicitor, complaints from neighbouring residents, and a proposed resolution. The suggested measures include nightly patrols between 12 a.m. and 8 a.m., daily cleanup of the grounds, increased security, and community engagement until ROC relocates out of the neighbourhood.

“It’s time for us as a city to prioritize public safety for our residents and businesses in the downtown core,” councillor Rowena Santos, who moved the motion, said at the special city council meeting. “Many of us have supported Regeneration ongoingly in the past, and the services they provide. However, if you look at the state of that property at any given time, you can see what the residents and businesses are facing day in and day out,” said Santos.

Santos did not respond to requests for comment.

Jenna Robson, the director of operations at ROC, says the organization was blindsided by the motion.

Early in 2024, ROC had approached the city requesting support to move locations. Their lease with the church will expire at the end of 2025, and they realized that they were outgrowing it. “We’re out of space and we also have a food bank down the street. We would love to be in one building, and not have to worry about leases,” says Robson, “but we are very aware that we have a catch, because we still need it to be accessible for the people we’re serving.”

Robson says the city agreed to have staff work with ROC and were in negotiations for a location, but plans fell through in November 2024. There hasn’t been any follow-up from the city since.

ROC has been working closely with Grace United to mitigate the city’s concerns. They’ve hired someone to clean the area three times a day. However, ROC’s program ends at 3 p.m. “We have all our guests leave [the] property after three of course. When we leave, they leave. But we can’t control what happens after hours,” says Robson. They have requested housing support workers to be at the location more often during closing to connect people to finding a shelter, but often, people prefer to stay around the church since they feel safe and comfortable. “We’re not saying that that’s right, but it’s a system that’s failing them. I don’t think we should be scapegoated,” says Robson.

Chris Moon, chair of Grace United’s board of trustees, says the church is as much a victim as the residents. Prostitution, drug deals, and vandalism regularly occur around the property. “The church’s mission does not extend to supporting and promoting the nuisance and lawless behaviour that’s been occurring. Our mission extends to providing support services through Regeneration to the poorest and most vulnerable and marginalized people in the city,” he says.

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He says these problems are only caused by a small number of people, possibly 25-35 out of the hundreds receiving services from ROC every day, most of whom he says are law-abiding and respectful community members. “Many of the people hanging around Grace United Church have simply no other safe place to go,” says Moon.

According to Peel Region’s 2025 point-in-time report, there was a 223 per cent increase in homelessness, including among asylum claimants, in 2024 compared to 2021. There was a 93 per cent increase in local homelessness compared to 2021.

On July 31, Moon sent a letter to Mayor Patrick Brown, Santos, and Brampton city council acknowledging their complaints and agreeing to collaborate with the city to create a safer neighbourhood. “We seek assistance from the city of Brampton and Peel Regional Police. We need regular day and night patrols, and enforcement by the police,” wrote Moon. He also adds, “The real, sustainable solution is for the City of Brampton and Peel Region to provide adequate permanent supportive housing and services for the unhoused and marginalized, not just temporary shelters and hotels.”

On Aug. 15, a meeting was held at city hall to address the church’s concerns. Moon restated much of what was in his letter, hoping the city could provide support. “We came away from the meeting with our hands empty. They made no commitments to do any patrols,” says Moon.

Rhonda Collis is a retired housing outreach worker who has lived in downtown Brampton for 13 years. She used to work with the Peel Public Health department and did outreach with people experiencing houselessness. She has worked with ROC for 20 years.

Collis says the consensus among downtown residents is that ROC’s current location isn’t suitable, and given its growth, she was hoping the city would assist the group in finding a better location and provide solutions for increasing infrastructure and housing. “They abandoned the rest of our community,” says Collis, “the city must know that a group like Regeneration has not got the resources to access the information and the facilities that the city of Brampton staff have.”

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Prarthana Pathak is a journalist in Brampton, Ont.

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