The City of Vancouver is hunting for buildings in which to establish four or more temporary homeless shelters this winter.
"City staff are out looking at a number of sites right now," Councillor Kerry Jang told The Tyee. "They’re figuring out how much work needs to be put in to these buildings. Do they have sprinklers? Do they have enough bathrooms? Stuff like that."
Jang said the city will require financial support from the province, the private sector, and/or faith communities in order to open more shelters this winter.
"Our problem is that we just don't have the money to open these places on our own," Jang said. "We're negotiating with the province for support."
The Vision Vancouver councillor would not identify the locations of buildings under consideration to become temporary shelters.
"Think of places in this city where there there are large homeless populations: Kitsilano, Downtown South, Grandview-Woodlands. Anywhere we know there's a homeless population that’s underserved," Jang said.
One of the sites being studied is near the intersection of East 10th Avenue and Victoria Drive, The Tyee has learned.
Jang said these new shelters would be smaller than the HEAT (Homeless Emergency Action Team) shelters opened this time last year, and would remain open 24 hours a day in order to avoid dispatching crowds of homeless into surrounding neighbourhoods every morning. He said the city is also looking at the idea of creating "warming centres" that would be open only during business hours.
"As soon as we figure out which sites are workable - and the province ponies up some dough - then we'll start a permit process," Jang said. "None of these facilities will be opened without a public development permit hearing."
It costs about $36 to shelter a homeless person for one night. By the end of last winter, roughly 500 people were sleeping in Vancouver's temporary homeless shelters every night. Three of those five HEAT shelters remain open this winter, providing about 340 beds.
"We’re facing a gap of at least 700 shelter beds this winter, and with the weather getting colder, we need to be doing everything we can to help people off the streets and indoors," Mayor Gregor Robertson said in a news release.
Robertson and Jang met with 40 representatives of Vancouver's faith organizations on Monday, seeking advice and support for the city's efforts to help the homeless. Additional sites for prospective shelters were suggested at that meeting.
"A number of churches have space in their basements," Jang said. "We're looking at those, too."
British Columbia hosts a homeless population estimated to range between 10,000 and 15,000 people. On average, a homeless person dies every 12 days in this province, according to statistics complied by the B.C. Coroner's office.
Monte Paulsen reports for The Tyee.
4
Login or register to post comments
morechatter
2 years ago
Forcing the homeless to shelters
Lets see Coleman has established a law that is contrary to the laws of the land by having people picked up and forced to shelters. Saying it was because a women burned to death yet the homeless are constantly dying because they are forced to live on the streets or in sleep shelters in inhuman conditions. This isn't war time or is it as the BC Liberals take aim at the poor and go in for the kill young and old alike.
Taking the homeless to shelters that don't exist now if that isn't criminal I don't know what is.
It obvious its more a law to assit the police so officers no longer have to worry about a person's rights under the law because if your homeless your no longer human.
morechatter
2 years ago
1sr demoralize, 2nd dehumanize and finally deleaglize
I wonder how many of these homeless have died in the arms of the law? I know a fellow who the police found sleeping in the park and they chased him with a baseball bat and broke his leg in good sport. He was in his forties with a severe disability but is now dead. He did have a home so he would not be part of the corners numbers along with all the suicides from people who feel they are going to be forced to live on the streets.
There are lots at XMAS, suicides that is as all that good cheer isn't for the homeless as they aren't human are they?
Frank
2 years ago
Death by a thousand cuts
Rather than create and maintain shelters, why not simply build low cost housing?
I know I know, the reason that simple solution isn't in the cards is because Mr Campbell hasn't been allowed to by the business people that control his party.
scottdavene
2 years ago
homeless no more
I have experienced the misery of homelessness at several points in my life and, although there is a certain sense of freedom to it, it is a dangerous and miserable lifestyle that is hard to rise out of. Contrary to popular belief, most homeless did not become so out of choice and not because they are lazy, stupid, or immoral. Many homeless people are victims of abuse in the form of neglect and abandonment by their parents or other caregivers. Like many victims of abuse, a lot of them have chemical dependency problems. Their pain is so deep that they use alcohol or other drugs as an escape. Some of them are simply victims of life’s tragedies, such as hurricanes, fires, or other catastrophes from which they simply don’t have the resources to recover. Also, there is a snowball effect that occurs with homelessness. After all, who is going to hire someone with no address? Most homeless people don’t have the resources to even do their laundry; who is going to hire someone in filthy clothes? Also once a person has fallen to the level of living on the streets it is very difficult for them to get a job even if they are capable of working, because the condition of homelessness creates a low sense of self-esteem which makes it difficult to relate to other people. It is difficult to find, much less keep a job once a person’s self-esteem is so badly damaged. I invite you to my blog devoted to raising awareness on homelessness: http://tcrsnst.blogspot.com/. There you will find an article and pictures I have taken of homeless people. I always give them a dollar or two for the privilege of photographing them. I am often surprised by their cheerfulness and sense of pride. Often, they will show themselves to have some kind of talent. There is a fine line between genius and insanity.