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Homelessness and hard drug use are taking a toll on downtown Kitchener.

For roughly the past five years, a large encampment has occupied the corner of Victoria and Weber streets.

Rebel News was contacted by a local property manager who expressed concern over the situation, after she says a man attempted to light one of her properties on fire.

Located across the street from the encampment is a soup kitchen called St. John's Kitchen. The establishment runs a variety of services for people in need — including, reportedly, harm reduction supplies for drug users.

When we arrived on scene, we saw a number of people outside the soup kitchen, some appearing to be under the influence and openly holding pipes.

A police officer was also on scene, speaking with some of the people gathered there. As we conducted interviews, the officer approached our crew, escorted us off the property, and asked to identify us.

One encampment resident agreed to give us a quick tour. He told us there are good people and bad people staying there, including many struggling with addiction. He also said the property was infested with rats.

The land beneath the tents is owned by the Region of Waterloo. The property is supposed to be used to build a transit hub. The region attempted to clear the encampment, but a judge ruled the effort unconstitutional. For now, the encampment remains — much as it has for the past five years.

We've censored some of the drug use in this report to comply with YouTube's guidelines. To watch the full, uncensored version, visit RebelNewsPlus.com.

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