Wednesday May 20, 2020 ~ VANCOUVER & VICTORIA
by Mary Brooke ~ West Shore Voice News
Three encampments of homeless people — one in Vancouver and Oppenheimer Park and two in Victoria on Pandora and at Topaz Park — will today May 20 see the completion of about 600 campers relocated to indoor housing and a set of supports including food. That’s about 340 people off the street in Victoria and 260 off the street in Vancouver.
The goal of this process which began April 25 is to stabilize the living situation for these people, which today Social Development and Poverty Reduction Minister Shane Simpson said was spurred forward over issues of health and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, together with the challenges of the overdose and opioid crises.
“We’re here to deal with homelessness issues moving forward,” Simpson said today, with reference to this being only the start for supporting this impacted population to more stable lives.
The municipalities in which these people have not been able to find housing up to now will be involved going forward. “We have lots (of work still) to do with the City of Vancouver, Victoria, Nelson, Campbell River and Kelowna,” the Social Development and Poverty Reduction minister said today.
Simpson explained that in Victoria, the Comfort Inn motel has been purchased by the provincial government, in which now 93 people are housed in two separate facilities within that site. Other building setups are lease arrangements. Spaces like the arena at Save On Foods Memorial Arena in Victoria is available for a couple of months. Different schedules of availability of these locations are based on the nature of lease arrangements.
A number of outreach workers have been hired to help with the transition of pulling down the encampments after people move out and at the new hotel and motel locations to help people with the various supports there including meals and health support services.
Looking at more permanent long term stable housing, Simpson will have more to say in the coming weeks.
Focus of the team to complete that process. Get people moved / into new accommodations and stable / next couple of weeks talk about plans moving forward.
“We also continue to work with the additional people who have since moved into the area to provide them with shelter and housing options. Outside of the encampments, there are still many people in Victoria who need housing and support services. Outreach workers continue to register people on the housing registry. A resource guide has also been developed so people have information on safe places to shelter, access hygiene, harm reduction, health care and food services.
Simpson was asked by media if government has considered sanctioned tent cities with water and power and some level of security. “If something like that were to happen it would have to start with local governments of those initiative moving forward,” said Simpson. “As government, we have not contemplated that. We are aware of the option. We’re not anticipating doing that. A local government would have to come forward,” Simpson said.
“This is a complex population with significant issues and challenges,” said Simpson, with the goal of stabilizing people in these communities.