Man living in tiny home illegally built in wooded area in Guelph, Ont.

CTV’s Krista Simpson finds out why a man is living in a tiny home illegally built in the woods.

The plight of a man from Guelph, Ont., is driving home the dire situation some people are facing during southern Ontario’s harsh winter.

A man named Rob gave CTV News Kitchener a tour of his tiny home on Thursday. The structure was built in the middle of a wooded area in a park on the city’s south side.

“The last two years have just been hell,” he explained.

Rob said he has a brain injury and deals with mental health struggles.

When he lost his housing, he tried living with his family, but that solution didn’t work out. He said the shelter system also failed him.

“I slept in apartment building stairwells, where I’ve been kicked out,” Rob said.

During the summer, he set up a tent in the same park where he currently lives. But once the cold weather settled in, he needed a new option to escape the dangerously low temperatures.

Rob’s son-in-law, who works in construction, decided to take matters into his own hands.

“Is it legal to build a house in the woods? No, because we don’t own the land,” Jesse Damery admitted. “We don’t have permits. But is it right to put a man out in the middle of the winter with no help, no resources, no options? It’s not right.”

Rob’s new shelter includes a bed, a wood stove with a flue and space for Rob’s belongings.

“I looked into everything that we need to do to make sure this was safe, both for the community and for Robert himself,” Damery explained.

Although the tiny home provides a break from the elements, there are still some key missing features. When he needs to use the washroom, shower or do laundry, Rob walks to Damery’s home.

But when it comes down to it, Rob said he feels safer in the small home than he ever did in a shelter or sleeping on the street.

“I trust the wild coyote pack more than some of the people,” he said.

However, Rob could soon once again be looking for a place to stay.

Damery said a bylaw officer, a police officer and a mental health worker visited the site and told Rob the tiny home needed to be torn down.

“Upon tearing the structure down, he’s allowed to put up a tent in the exact same spot and live in a tent. In the middle of winter. In -30 [degrees Celsius],” Damery said.

The City of Guelph’s Public Space Use bylaw governs where people can set up temporary shelters. Although it does not forbid temporary structures, part of the bylaw states people cannot “erect, or cause to be erected, or occupy any unauthorized structure or shelter that is affixed to the land … or is permanent or immovable in nature.”

Temporary, moveable structures are allowed under the bylaw, but there are stipulations defining where they can be set up.

A bylaw officer can order the dismantlement of any structure that contravenes the rules.

Damery described the tiny home as a “semi-permanent structure” and said it could be moved. It was also built on blocks, not the ground.

“The city is responsible for enforcing municipal bylaws, including Guelph’s Public Space Use bylaw, as well as other legislations related to shelters and buildings (such as the Ontario Fire Code, Ontario Building Code and Building Act, etc.) to support community safety,” the City of Guelph said in a statement to CTV News.

“Unfortunately, we cannot speak to specific sites or investigations as a matter of confidentiality,” the statement said.

As of Thursday afternoon, Rob’s tiny home still stood.

“To try to have a little dignity and pride and stay safe. That’s all I’m trying to do — survive,” he said.

For now, Damery hopes the tiny home will only be a temporary solution to a much larger problem.

“Right now, we’re taking it day-by-by,” he said. “This is our option we have now. Tomorrow will be a new day and maybe a new option will come up.”

The pair hope their story may shed light on the needs of people who have nowhere else to go.

“This issue is only getting worse. You can only sweep so many things under the carpet until it starts spilling out. And it’s spilling out,” Damery said.

“When someone’s drowning, you don’t need anchors thrown at you,” Rob implored.

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