Trying to find an answer to the homelessness problem is similar to solving a Rubik’s cube: some folks just can’t seem to get the hang of it and some are getting closer to a solution, while others seem to have it figured out.
Based on a recent head count, an increasing number of indigent people are living on the streets in Vancouver, many of whom have arrived from other jurisdictions. Three years ago, officials in Abbotsford employed an unconventional approach to dispersing a homeless encampment by spreading chicken manure on the site, resulting in recriminations and threats of lawsuits against the city.
Last year, the B.C. Supreme Court struck down Abbotsford’s bylaws prohibiting sleeping in a city park overnight and erecting a temporary shelter without permits. According to that edict, denying people the opportunity to stay anywhere long enough to get necessary rest violated their Section 7 right to life, liberty and security of the person under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
In April, the top court rejected the province’s request to shut down a homeless encampment near the legislature in Victoria. According to police reports, the site has become a hub for violence, drug trafficking and weapons offences. Despite the provincial government’s offer to provide housing, some campers still refuse to leave. One occupant of the tent city told the Vancouver Province, “For many of the vulnerable people here, this camp is the only community and support they’ve ever received.”
In Maple Ridge, a homeless enclave was peacefully dismantled by the occupants after housing, mental health and detox intervention services were provided. But the operator of a hotel across the street from a homeless shelter says he has seen a large decrease in business and his property was vandalized by occupants of the facility. And Nicole Read, the city’s mayor, told media it is becoming harder to control the situation as more destitute people arrive from neighbouring communities.
Meanwhile, a highly successful program is helping to eradicate homelessness in Medicine Hat, Alta. It focuses on moving people into permanent homes where they can receive treatment for addiction and mental health disorders. According to the city’s Community Housing Society, the strategy is “ambitious, precise, accountable, reflective, and measurable.”
In our own backyard, Sea to Sky Community Services and the Squamish Helping Hands Society are partnering with a wide range of local and provincial organizations to offer shelter and treatment programs for this community’s growing homeless population. With construction of the long awaited Centrepoint affordable housing project now underway, Squamish will be another step closer to achieving that goal.
