What is Vancouver Doing to Help House the Homeless?

Introduction

What is Vancouver doing to help house the homeless? With 537 people (Mike Howell, 2017)

living without a roof over their heads, what is the government of Vancouver, and British

Columbia doing to help find them homes? Homelessness is becoming a frightening normal in our

society in Vancouver. Many people view homelessness as either the result of individual choices

and/or a poor work ethic, but it is also a problem because of complex mental or social issues.

Homelessness tends to be associated with images of people who sleep in the streets, parks,

subways, and sidewalks. The homeless are sometimes seen as unworthy of support; they are

often stigmatized as being mentally ill, out of control addicts, and are viewed by some as

responsible for their own situation. (Phelan, Link, Moore & Stueve, 1997) Vancouver Mayor

Greg Robertson claims there are “about 4,000 homeless people in across the region - much more

than three years ago- and he adds there are an estimated 70 tent camps.” (Dave White, 2017) In

2008, Robertson promised to end all homelessness by 2015. Now, the numbers are at an all time

high.

The homeless are the most poverty-stricken and deprived people in society. “Of the 3,605-

homeless people counted in the region this March (2017), 2,573 were living in shelters (1,601 in

Vancouver) and 1,032 were either on the street or residing in a vehicle. It's a 30% increase over

statistics collected in Metro's last count in 2014.” (Howell, M., 2017) The daily struggle is

everywhere, yet unseen. The city of Vancouver has claimed “[t]he lack of affordable housing in

Vancouver has put our city at risk. We want people to stay, live, and build a future in our city.”

(“Housing Vancouver strategy,” 2017) The city of Vancouver has proposed a ten-year housing
What is Vancouver Doing to Help House the Homeless? 2

action-plan to decrease the housing affordability gap, and “to provide a strong future for

Vancouver.” (“Housing Vancouver strategy,” 2017) The plan is to build affordable housing,

“limit the over-inflated cost of land that is driving up housing prices”, (“Housing Vancouver

strategy,” 2017) making sure the right types of houses are built – homes residents of Vancouver

need and can afford, Preserving what is left of existing affordable rental homes and renewing

them, and supplying housing and aid to the most vulnerable residents in the city.

Action Plan

The strategy is long for it is to take course over the next ten years. Their goal is to build 72,000

new homes across Vancouver in the next 10 years. They have broken down what kind of housing

they need to build by a few different filters. 50% of new homes will serve households earning

less than $80,000 per year. 40% of new homes will be large enough for families (more than two

people), and 65% of all new housing will be for renters. They have also decided with building

the houses that 20,000 of them will be secure long-term market rental homes, 12,000 will be

social, supportive, and non-profit co-operative homes and 4,000 new laneway homes for singles,

couples, and families. 10,000 homes will be new ground-level homes such as townhouses, row

houses and infills and 6,800 new homes will be for households earning less than $30,000.

(“Housing Vancouver strategy,” 2017)

The project timeline has been a long one. In fall 2016, they had a stakeholder consultation to

identify beneficial housing practices for Vancouver. Almost a year later, in spring 2017 the City

Council adopts emerging directions for housing in Vancouver. Public engagement was used to

determine Vancouver resident’s priorities for housing. A few months later, in summer 2017 the
What is Vancouver Doing to Help House the Homeless? 3

City Council finally receives update on public feedback and preliminary 10-year housing targets.

For the next couple months, the “Final Housing Vancouver strategy and Three-Year Action

Plan” was drafted by fall 2017. By the winter, City Council adopts “Housing Vancouver strategy

and Three-Year Action Plan.” We are now sitting right above the final step in the 10-year plan.

The final step is the Implementation of Housing Vancouver strategy in 2018. (“Housing

Vancouver strategy,” 2017)

Shelters

Vancouver also has a page on their website dedicated to the homeless and low-income earning

residents. They state that “[c]reating enough safe, clean, and affordable housing is not a goal that

can be achieved overnight, unfortunately.” The problem with shelters is many of the more

privileged residents living in Vancouver believe shelters have a negative effect on businesses.

Businesses for years have complained that they witness pedestrians being stopped outside their

stores by homeless people begging for money daily. Such experiences have led to the making of

local laws that prohibit panhandling. (Skolnick, 2007) Another issue is that it is hard to decide on

where to build a shelter and how to zone the area where a shelter can be built. Neighborhoods,

especially ones with schools, protest that homeless shelters bring in bad elements to their homes.

In the last 10 years, the government of BC funded thirteen supportive housing sites in

Vancouver, and those made more than 1,500 units across the region. They also bought more than

twenty-five single room hotels in the city, and subsidized temporary housing sites, shelters, and

proceeds to offer rent supplements for low-income people. Some houses were torn down for

being built too close to an elementary school. There are also many homeless shelters that have

become nothing but facilities to sleep and house; not being able to provide job guidance or

schooling that would assist the homeless population with obtaining their own personal home.
What is Vancouver Doing to Help House the Homeless? 4

Housing through shelters offers only short-term resolutions. Alcohol and drugs also tend to

surround homeless shelters, though most shelters prohibit use of illegal drugs and alcohol, but

enforcement is scarce in most locations. Lastly, no classification system for shelters has been put

in. There are no faculties that separates those who have mental illnesses from the rest of the

shelter population.

Many people believe that homeless people should just live in shelters, but most people don’t know

what happens in shelters. The following is a narrative by an anonymous source about how his/her

experience on how homeless shelters work.

“Most shelters have a time where everybody checks-in. This time is usually in the

evening but with some places it can be early, while others require you to check in with

them in advance early in the morning. Most places usually require you to show up

somewhere between 5pm and 7pm. You'll usually wait in line outside and almost all of

them are based on a first-come first-served basis, so sometimes it's best to show up early.

At many places, it's free to stay the night at them for a certain amount of days or weeks,

but then you'll have to start paying them eventually for each night after that. Most

shelters will require you to take a shower first and brush your teeth or use the bathroom.

You'll typically stand in a line before entering the shower room, so that staff can supply

you with a clean towel, a small bar of soap (generally the motel-sized bars) and

sometimes even other things like shaving cream, a toothbrush, and toothpaste. The

showers are usually like the types you would find in a high school or prison, meaning that

you are showering in the same room as everybody else and there's no privacy. But some

shelters do have private stalls. Majority of places will not let you sleep in the beds until
What is Vancouver Doing to Help House the Homeless? 5

after you've taken a shower, so they can ensure that you're not getting their beds dirty.

Showering can be one of the most uncomfortable situations for a person who is newly

homeless or even a street veteran. Many people felt an uneasiness showering in front of

other people, many of whom were recently released from prison and listed as sexual

offenders for various crimes. Depending on where you go, there may be a long line to

take a shower or no waiting at all. After the shower you will usually go to an area where

they hand out pillows, sheets, and blankets for your bed. This is usually when you will

lock up your belongings in either a locker or a private room where the staff can make

sure it's locked up and safe from thieves. This may even be done before the shower, but

most people need things like razors, shampoo, soap, moisturizers etc. for when they take

their shower, so it usually takes place after showering. This is the shelter's way of making

sure your things are not stolen during the night while you sleep, and it's even more so a

way to keep the sleeping area clean and free from bugs. Not all shelters do this, as some

will let you take your possessions with you to your bed, but most require you to lock

them up. Once it's time to go to sleep, you will probably be handed sheets, a pillow case,

and maybe even a pillow. Most of the time, the pillow will already be on the bed and you

will just enter the sleeping quarters and put the sheet on the bed and pillowcase over the

pillow. If you do not put these things on the bed and pillow first, you may be asked to

leave since they might be trying to keep the beds clean that way. In most cases, you are

responsible for your sheet and other bedding and will usually be held accountable for

them if you don't return them to the staff before you leave. However, if a sheet is stained

with bodily fluids or otherwise damaged, the staff usually won't do much about it since

they know it was probably an accident and that you probably can't pay to have them
What is Vancouver Doing to Help House the Homeless? 6

replaced. One major concern for homeless people staying in shelters is the thought of bed

bugs in the beds or cots. Bed bugs have become an epidemic in the United States and

many other countries, but those staying in shelters are especially vulnerable to these nasty

pests. The bugs will typically travel in the bags and clothing of people who are infested

with them, and then spread to the bags and belongings of other people that they come in

contact with. With homeless shelters, you have hundreds of people coming in and out of

these types of places every day and many of them are sleeping in the beds. In my area

there were about 3 main shelters where people could sleep, and one of those places was

known to be infested with them. Word spreads quickly amongst homeless people when

there's a problem with a local shelter or an infestation of some sort. So those of us who

stayed in or near other shelters would still receive news about the place on the other side

of town that had an infestation. It wouldn't take much for a person to stay in that place for

a night and then visit another shelter the next day and spread the bugs everywhere they

go. Therefore, many people who are down on their luck prefer to stay outside the shelters

rather than inside. While outside, you may deal with crickets, flying insects, spiders, or

ants, but none are as feared and as hard to get rid of as bed bugs are so avoiding shelters

or sleeping around groups of people is an easy decision for some to make. Shortly after

going to bed, the lights will usually turn off at a certain time after everybody is in bed or

near their sleeping area. After this happens, anybody who is talking may be asked by staff

to be quiet, or people may talk at a low volume amongst each other for a short time

before falling asleep. But once the night sets in, majority of people will remain quiet and

the room you sleep in will mostly be quiet until the morning. Once the morning arrives,

the employees will turn on the lights when it's time to get up. They may give you as long
What is Vancouver Doing to Help House the Homeless? 7

as an hour or so to wake up and get ready to leave, but most of them will only give you

about 20 minutes maximum. Some organizations will ask you to leave the sheets and

other bedding on the actual bed, but most will ask you to take it off and put it into a bin,

so it can be cleaned. If you don't do this and leave the sheets on the bed when asked not

to, you may be banned from staying there again if they mark your name down in their

book as being uncooperative. After the lights are on and you leave the area where you

slept, you can go get your belongings from wherever they are stored and leave for the day

or go wherever you would normally go each morning. Outside the majority of shelters,

you'll usually see people sleeping in the general area, in sleeping bags, tents, or even just

on the street in nothing but their clothes. Sometimes the shelters themselves allow people

to sleep in their parking lots or on the property, but other times it may be the surrounding

businesses that give permission for people to sleep on their lots at night. Sometimes it's

even illegal, as they might not even have permission, but law enforcement will generally

leave the people around the shelters alone unless they get a call or a specific reason to

come out to the area or stop people. Just about all homeless organizations or shelters offer

some form of food service for the poor. They may serve hot food, or just offer a bagged

meal for the day, depending on their resources and what types of donations or funding

they get. Most places will not serve three square meals a day, so you may have to travel

between two or three different shelters each day if you want your three meals (assuming

you have no other income or food stamps to buy it yourself). Most of the time, people

will line up outside the room or building where they're serving, even if one hour before

the food is served. Most places will not run out of food during the day, but it does happen

from time to time, so it's best to make sure you're there early in advance. After everybody
What is Vancouver Doing to Help House the Homeless? 8

is lined up outside, the line will then move inside when it's finally time for the staff to

start serving everybody. At that point, it's similar to an elementary school cafeteria. There

will be a few people serving different types of food to put on your plate or tray and you'll

move down the line and tell them what you want on your plate and what you don't. There

are times when the plates will already be made, and you'll just decide what to eat on it

and what to throw out (or give to other people around you who may want more food). It's

very common for a place to serve seconds and sometimes even thirds if there's enough

food left, so this is another reason why it's beneficial to show up early if you're hungry.

When you're staying in shelters or frequenting them, you're bound to see a lot of things

you wouldn't normally see as often in other walks of life. Violence, arguments, drug use,

and even dead people are some of the things you may see around shelters. Since people

on the streets live a rougher life and have less to lose than most other people in society,

they're sometimes quicker to handle a situation by using violence rather than working

their disagreements out with each other. The fact that many people on the streets have

mental disorders also plays a role in this. It's not uncommon to see fights break out

randomly while you're standing in line waiting for food to be served outside or inside

some of the shelters. It's also very common to see people using drugs like heroin, crack

cocaine, and crystal meth around shelters, however you're more likely to see this on the

streets immediately surrounding the shelters and not in the actual buildings themselves

(though it can obviously happen anywhere). Another thing that you'll probably encounter

is situations where people die right in front of you, either because of violent situations

and stabbings, or because people on the streets don't seem to take care of themselves and

their health as well as other people. Drug overdoses and alcohol poisoning are very
What is Vancouver Doing to Help House the Homeless? 9

common amongst homeless populations, in addition to violence. As long as you don't

annoy anyone and try to remain respectful and non-aggressive, you probably won't run

into any problems with anyone. Just keep in mind that you don't want to come off as

being a pushover either or the aggressive ones may take advantage of you or feel they can

attack you.” (“How Homeless Shelters Work”, 2013)

As you can see, shelters are not enough for homeless people. We need to create a safe

community not just for ourselves, but for the under-privileged too. The homelessness rate in

Vancouver is now at an all-time high, and it will only be increasing until Vancouver’s action-

plan is completed.

Bibliography
1) Dave White, with files from the Canadian Press. (2017, February 27). Plans to fight
homelessness in Metro Vancouver have stalled: mayor. Retrieved February 28, 2018,
What is Vancouver Doing to Help House the Homeless?
10

from http://www.news1130.com/2017/02/27/plans-fight-homelessness-metro-vancouver-
stalled-mayor/

2) Phelan, J. (1997, December 01). The Stigma of Homelessness: The Impact of the Label
"Homeless" on Attitudes Toward Poor Persons. Retrieved April 09, 2018, from
https://www.jstor.org/stable/2787093

3) Howell, M. (2017, April 10). Vancouver's homeless population bigger than ever.
Retrieved March 02, 2018, from http://www.vancourier.com/news/vancouver-s-
homeless-population-bigger-than-ever-1.14843070

4) Chan, C. (2017, September 26). Affordability crisis worsens homelessness in Metro

5) Vancouver, C. O. (2017, November 30). Housing. Retrieved April 12, 2018, from
http://vancouver.ca/people-programs/housing-and-homelessness.aspx

6) Champ, Anastasia (2015,15 July). "Homeless Battle Heat Through Help From Homeless
Shelters". NBC Nebraska. Retrieved April 13,2018 from
http://www.hopeharborgi.org/in-the-news/

7) How Homeless Shelters Work. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://homelessadvice.com/how-