Since the Homeless Emergency Action Team (HEAT) opened five shelters in December, street disorder calls have decreased by 30 per cent, according to the Vancouver Police Department.

According to a press release from the mayor's office, incidents of street disorder in February of '09 dropped from 1720 to 1216, or 29.3% compared to this time last year.

"[VPD] have noticed in parts of Vancouver like the Downtown Eastside and downtown areas is that the amount of homeless people in trouble have dropped remarkably," said Kerry Jang, a Vancouver councilor who helped the VPD compile the research.

"What this says is the provision of housing and the provision of a safe place to go is clearly the solution," said Jang.

"We tried the law and order approach where we gave people tickets and all that kind of jazz, but it hasn’t really worked. It reduces street disorder but it doesn’t address the problem."

The fact that these shelters provide a safe haven for homeless people is why Jang feels the shelters are a much better tool for integrating homeless people into society.

"We are seeing the same people going in, every single day," Jang said.

"The shelter regulars -- these are the people who are now starting to feel good about themselves, gaining weight and starting to smile again. I think we need to keep that going, that stability in their lives that they don’t have currently," he said.

Homeless people who cause street disorders do so because their lack of basic needs, said Judy Graves, coordinator of the tenant assistance program at Vancouver City Hall.

"Without food, water and shelter you and I cannot function at work," Graves said. "Why we expect the homeless to make it to work without food, money and a place to sleep, who knows, it does not make any sense."

What this means is they're now getting their basic needs met like sleep and food…so I think it's tremendously good news," said Graves.

The help the HEAT shelters provide is the first step of a long process for these individuals struggling to get back to society, Graves said.

"They start making the next steps on their own as they get healthier," she said.

"What we're seeing is them bonding into communities and learning to establish behavioural codes that work for everybody."

The government will be re-assessing the shelters at the end of June to decide whether to keep them open.

Morgan J. Modjeski is a reporter for The Hook.