Fires, break-ins, open drug use and vandalism are just some of the problems a property manager says a nearby homeless encampment are bringing to a commercial plaza in South Windsor.
April Adams, who runs the Roundhouse Centre across from Devonshire Mall, says the past two years have seen issues escalate.
With fires set in the bush on the edge of the property on more than one occasion.
“I’m worried that something major is going to happen when it comes to safety of either the homeless person or my tenants,” Adams tells CTV News.
She says she and the strip mall’s tenants have placed multiple calls to 911, non-emergency lines for Windsor police and fire, 311, as well as sent numerous emails to contacts within emergency services and city hall.

“The city needs to help me figure out how I can help my tenants and what I can do forthe homeless people, if there’s anything at all,” says Adams.
She says tenants feel unsafe entering their businesses some mornings, fearing someone has broken in and that she’s had to increase the number of private security sweeps done from two a day to five.
For the city’s part, a spokesperson says only one call was placed in August 2021 and that no encampment was found when officials responded.
Adams disputes that, saying she’s encouraged tenants to call whenever the encampment presents an issue.
She says she hesitates to tie up emergency services to combat the issue, but that something needs to be done — particularly with fires being set more and more frequently as the temperature drops.
“We’re supposed to have a very bad winter,” she says.
“We’re going into a recession and it is going to get worse.”
On Monday, a fire prevention officer attended Roundhouse to speak with Adams and observe the encampment.
Dave O’Neil, with Windsor Fire, says it will be removed now.
“Those people over there right now, they’re trespassing,” he says.
“I’m going to reach out to our community partners and see if we can address that because they shouldn’t be there in the first place.”
Adams hopes that’s true, but says this conversation needs to happen. That the circumstances leading people to live in encampments like this are not unique to downtown and something needs to be done.
“And the homeless people need to be included in this conversation,” she says.