25965 replies to this topic

[Dietrich]

It may be have been, but I believe it was Coleman who brought the idea forward. He said he had been in conversation with a woman at his church or affiliated with his church who said she slept in her vehicle. Something to that degree.

 

I thought I read something where Helps' had stated she saw someone sleeping in a car on her street one morning when she was leaving for work but they were gone later which led to the assumption they had a job..?  For some reason that's been in my head as the start of this, can't remember where I read it.  

[Mike K.]

Yes, that too! I think there was a congruence there between Helps and Coleman. Helps' coming out with that was just par for the course, but suddenly Coleman following up gave everyone pause.

 

It's like the council is trying to one-up each other. Meanwhile council's much lauded garden suite plan has so far been a complete dud.

[Nparker]

...It's like the council is trying to one-up each other...

...by reacting to problems that don't exist.

[mbjj]

I grew up in Duncan and went to both of those schools.  Seems incredible that it is now a questionable area. Where the shelter is used to be an older style apartment block that my friend lived in. Wow, times sure have changed.

[Nparker]

Typo or the mayor's spin:

...According to the 2016 Greater Victoria Point In Time Court, there were 1,1387 homeless people in the area.

http://www.cheknews....e-rooms-337135/

 

[weirdie]

Walking home today I passed Bin 4 on Yates, around 630pm, and witnessed an employee asking a homeless guy to move on. He was sitting on the sidewalk directly across from the patio with a big pile of uncapped needles and other paraphernalia. The employee was being, in my opinion, way more polite than this guy deserved. His response was, "F*** you, you aren't a cop, you aren't a security guard, and you aren't a f***ing city employee. Get f***ed!"

Vibrant Victoria!

[Nparker]

Walking home today I passed Bin 4 on Yates, around 630pm, and witnessed an employee asking a homeless guy to move on. He was sitting on the sidewalk directly across from the patio with a big pile of uncapped needles and other paraphernalia. The employee was being, in my opinion, way more polite than this guy deserved. His response was, "F*** you, you aren't a cop, you aren't a security guard, and you aren't a f***ing city employee. Get f***ed!"...

Message the mayor about this guy; I am sure she'll invite him to stay at her house, even if it means displacing an AirBnB guest.

[kafkaesque]

^She keeps top secret papers there, so sadly she can't.  I am willing to give her a locking filing cabinet if she opens her home.

[VicHockeyFan]

I just had an interesting run-in with a poverty activist.  We both stopped at a guy on lower Pandora sprawled out on the ground, scraping at a grate in the sidewalk digging up dirt, while lying on his side.

 

I told him how that was not really a necessary job.  She told me he could do what he wanted to do.  I said I guess he can, but I'm concerned first about his welfare, and second about the effect on local business, like the Rialto.

 

She gave him some soup she was packing.  I asked how that was going to help him, and suggested that Our Place still has food for another hour.  She got mad, said something about my "day job" and then swore at me a bit and headed off.  For all I know the guy is still prone on the sidewalk.  He seemed to have little interest in the soup she laid down for him.  

 

I thought she was very cute.  But she was in way over her head if she thought she was going to win a rational argument with me on the street over this situation.  I've been arguing for nearly a half century.  Alas, she swore at me and walked off.

Edited by VicHockeyFan, 13 June 2017 - 07:46 PM.

[Love the rock]

Walking home today I passed Bin 4 on Yates, around 630pm, and witnessed an employee asking a homeless guy to move on. He was sitting on the sidewalk directly across from the patio with a big pile of uncapped needles and other paraphernalia. The employee was being, in my opinion, way more polite than this guy deserved. His response was, "F*** you, you aren't a cop, you aren't a security guard, and you aren't a f***ing city employee. Get f***ed!"
Vibrant Victoria!

Now do we have the granny for you ! To turn your life around.
You poor desperate soul .

[Awaiting Juno]

Here's what might work a registry and a screening service that separates the "hard done by" from the "risk to themselves and others", where there's at least a criminal record check and some indication of what amount the person is willing to pay for a room.  Got a criminal record? Don't pass go.  Got a history of violence? Don't pass go.  Illicit drug user? Don't pass go.  Just poor (working minimum wage or on welfare) and trying to make a go? Apply! Those offering rooms should also have a bit of a background check - after all, owning a home doesn't mean a person isn't a predator.  Limit stays to less than 60 days - with the intent of helping that person find permanent market housing.  Lastly, the rooms shouldn't be free - those providing them should be compensated at least at the level of the welfare housing allowance.  Further, the city should provide insurance to those participating in the program - to hold them harmless in the event of property damage or theft, with incidences of property damage or theft being reported to the program and barring the participant further use of the program.  If a person wants to "evict" a participant for any reason, they should be able to do so within 48 hours - although I imagine such a thing wouldn't do much to alleviate a good chunk of our problem as much of it (I'd estimate 75%) are not this group of people.  But it might help for those earning minimum wage and just trying to get by - it might prevent a slide into worse circumstances and it might make things a little more workable.

 

Although, why would a person choose to be compensated $12.50 a day for something they could get $30 or more as an Air BnB is beyond me - and maybe they should in addition be issued tax receipts for providing the service for value in kind (I'd suggest topped off to the rate paid to billets to host students in the public school system)....even when people take in students, generally speaking the billets get paid around $800 per month or more, for a much lower risk group of people.  And there is the rub - the housing allowance no longer bears any resemblance to the amount needed to actually have housing - even the cheap accommodation is beyond reach. 

[rmpeers]

Here's what might work a registry and a screening service that separates the "hard done by" from the "risk to themselves and others", where there's at least a criminal record check and some indication of what amount the person is willing to pay for a room. Got a criminal record? Don't pass go. Got a history of violence? Don't pass go. Illicit drug user? Don't pass go. Just poor (working minimum wage or on welfare) and trying to make a go? Apply! Those offering rooms should also have a bit of a background check - after all, owning a home doesn't mean a person isn't a predator. Limit stays to less than 60 days - with the intent of helping that person find permanent market housing. Lastly, the rooms shouldn't be free - those providing them should be compensated at least at the level of the welfare housing allowance. Further, the city should provide insurance to those participating in the program - to hold them harmless in the event of property damage or theft, with incidences of property damage or theft being reported to the program and barring the participant further use of the program. If a person wants to "evict" a participant for any reason, they should be able to do so within 48 hours - although I imagine such a thing wouldn't do much to alleviate a good chunk of our problem as much of it (I'd estimate 75%) are not this group of people. But it might help for those earning minimum wage and just trying to get by - it might prevent a slide into worse circumstances and it might make things a little more workable.

Although, why would a person choose to be compensated $12.50 a day for something they could get $30 or more as an Air BnB is beyond me - and maybe they should in addition be issued tax receipts for providing the service for value in kind (I'd suggest topped off to the rate paid to billets to host students in the public school system)....even when people take in students, generally speaking the billets get paid around $800 per month or more, for a much lower risk group of people. And there is the rub - the housing allowance no longer bears any resemblance to the amount needed to actually have housing - even the cheap accommodation is beyond reach.

See? Same basic concept but actually thought out. Why is it so hard for our local elected officials to give an idea a few minutes of thought before floating it publicly.

Believe it or not, applying logic would actually increase the chances of helping those in need. All that's achieved the other way is conflict (like what we saw with tent city.)

[spanky123]

^ Might work if we assumed that there were many people living on the street who were working poor looking for a hand up and didn't have drug, alcohol, violence and/or mental health issues.

 

When I participated in the homeless survey I didn't meet any of those people but that doesn't mean that they don't exist of course. I suspect that as a percentage of those living on the street, in cars, or in woodsheds they would be a very small percentage.

[VicHockeyFan]

^ Might work if we assumed that there were many people living on the street who were working poor looking for a hand up and didn't have drug, alcohol, violence and/or mental health issues.

 

When I participated in the homeless survey I didn't meet any of those people but that doesn't mean that they don't exist of course. I suspect that as a percentage of those living on the street, in cars, or in woodsheds they would be a very small percentage.

 

Ya, there are very very few of them.  If any.  If you are two people, either a couple or friends sharing an apartment as room-mates, you are taking home well over $3,000/mo. total even if you both work minimum wage  

Edited by VicHockeyFan, 14 June 2017 - 10:34 AM.

[On the Level]

^ Helps statements in the TC asking the public to take in the homeless as was done during WW2 is putting a false spin on reality.

Those with mental illness and addiction issues were institutionalized during the 1940s. The public housed a fully functional workforce. They were not asked to take in the mentally ill and addicted.

This article shows how out of touch with reality Helps is, and why homelessness is getting worse. "Housing First" is simply pouring gasoline on an already explosive issue.

[Love the rock]

All common sense ideas AJ .
We do have services in place right now to deal with these issues.
I understand that they are inadequate .
Why are we not topping up these services instead of diverting money's for the big circle that drug addiction is costing us .
If you show the abilities to help yourself we'll help.
The services who help do have emergency lists .
Let's not forget the parents who no one suspects are doing drugs have died .
I think what the Mayor is suggesting is the perfect storm for people to get taken advantage of .
Both sides .
You can have a clean criminal record which just means you're good at what you do .
How safe is it to say throw children (single mother )into the mix .
Kids are venerable period.

[Awaiting Juno]

This problem is complex, and needs to be addressed along the full width of the spectrum.  The drug addicted and those struggling with severe mental health problems need specialized support and rehabilitation that does not enable and facilitate self-destructive behavior - if that means institutionalization, we should be looking at that.  The Woodwynn Farm model is likely something that should be supported more.  We need enforcement of existing laws - the public deserves to feel safe walking down the street, kids deserve to be able to use the parks without fear of needlestick injuries, and the working poor need access to adequate and affordable housing.  If that means helping people find roommates and addressing the issue of Air BnB (by maybe requiring business licenses and collecting taxes on those operating as Air BnBs) - then we should help people find room mates and reduce the incentives to converting rental stock to hotel stock.  Perhaps some hotel stock needs to be converted into the rental pool.

[Nparker]

Kapten Kapsell, on 17 Jun 2017 - 09:59 AM, said:

Fencing is up around the former Canadian Tire on Douglas; are there redevelopment plans for this site?

Perhaps we'll soon hear an announcement that the Province has bought the property to add it to the city's emerging "Fentanyl District North" -  or for the tourists, "FeDiNo"

(not to be confused with CeFeDi - the Central Fentanyl District - in the 800-900 blocks of Johnson-Pandora)

Since it's been decided the best way to deal with chronic homelessness/addiction is by warehousing addicts while offering practically no recovery options (naloxone doesn't count), what better place than an actual warehouse? 

[Downtownguy99]

Here is my daily run down of what I witnessed today in my neighbourhood (Harris Green)
- 4 used needles, uncapped all the gear and human crap on the sidewalk along Pacific Mazda on Cook, seems to be a recurring event in this stretch of sidewalk lately
- Said man above scraping the grates in the sidewalk on Johnson by the CCH
- The homeless garbage dump accumulating on the covered sidewalk on Vancouver between Yates and Johnson
- 4 people shooting up in the parking lot behind the Ageless Market
- Two people arguing more like yelling regarding some drug deal gone bad
How much is it going to take before there is this collective realization that you can not push / increase density in an area and then throw in a high risk shelter before something goes sideways?
I am a complete supporter of Our Place and always have been, and have no problems with shelters or support services in the area, key word being support, not just house....

[zoomer]

Every single day on my walks in the same area I see something well out of the ordinary.

Today it was a frantic young man (mid 20s, looked a little like Jesus) whose pants were nearly falling down who was desperately performing cpr on the sidewalk in front of John's Place on Pandora. He was trying to save the life of his large...plastic lizard. Which was on a leash. I hope it was plastic.. he checked for breathing and a pulse eventually giving up, he swung it over his shoulder and ran into an alley where he disappeared.