Della Durrell has been living in the Millennium Park encampment for the past six months and has been unhoused since she and her husband were evicted from their home in March 2022.
As the City of Prince George is proceeding with a decampment of the Millennium Park site, Durrell said she does not want to move to the court-protected camp site on Lower Patricia Blvd known as Moccasin Flats.
She hopes to get enough funds together to be able to get a motel and then eventually her own rental.
“I want a different environment. I didn’t expect to be here this long,” said Durrell.
Originally from Williams Lake, Durrell said she and her husband moved to Prince George for new opportunities after experiencing tragedy after tragedy.
“We had a trailer burn down, my son was murdered, we got evicted and everything happened around the same time,” she said. “Nobody ever approached us even though the people of the city knew what had happened to us. No one went out of their way to help us.”
Durrell said she doesn’t think it’s fair that the city is decamping Millennium Park and doesn’t agree with what is happening.
“You can’t just herd people around like a cattle group to be fenced in.”
The City of Prince George has said that the situation at Millennium Park has deteriorated significantly. Recent reports from the RCMP, Prince George Fire Rescue, and frontline city workers indicate serious safety concerns for both responders and occupants of the park as the result of increased density.
However, Durrell said she feels safe there and doesn’t want to move to Moccassin Flats because there is no water, electricity, or garbage bins, and she’s worried about bears in the area and her things being stolen.
“I was gone for a few days and when I got back, I heard the news that we had to move, and I’m crushed,” said Durrell.
“When you have to walk everyday…and you have to keep an eye on your belongings everyday. There’s definitely unique challenges to a person who is living outdoors, on the street, homeless, or couch surfing. You have to continuously watch your stuff.”
Durrell said she is on the list for BC Housing but doesn’t have much hope of finding shelter though them.
“I’m on the list for B.C. Housing. I hear from staff at BC Housing, I hear from everywhere, that the list is monumental. It’s long so just getting a place from them would be monumental,” said Durrell, adding that she also has a 10-year-old daughter in care who can’t return home until she has permanent housing.
“I miss washing dishes in a sink, mopping my floors, hanging my coat up and having my daughter with us,” she said. “That is why I am not spending any money, I am going to go into a motel.”
The City of Prince George is requiring occupants to vacate the property by Sept. 9 and said any material remaining in Millennium Park after this date will be removed and permanently disposed.
The site will then be closed to the public while options for remediation are considered.
