Jump to content

      



























Photo

Victoria homelessness and street-related issues


  • Please log in to reply
25855 replies to this topic

#22821 Mike K.

Mike K.
  • Administrator
  • 83,184 posts

Posted 12 May 2021 - 09:44 AM

Vic West residents are still in the dark as to what the game plan is for their neighbourhood. Nobody knows (at least not publicly) a thing about the Catherine site, or what the long-term plans are for Russell Street.


Know it all.
Citified.ca is Victoria's most comprehensive research resource for new-build homes and commercial spaces.


#22822 Victoria Watcher

Victoria Watcher

    Old White Man On A Canadian Island

  • Member
  • 52,328 posts

Posted 12 May 2021 - 09:45 AM

tiny homes opens today, no?

 

so today is the last day of daytime park camping?

 

all the motorhomes are gone from BHP now?


Edited by Victoria Watcher, 12 May 2021 - 09:46 AM.

  • Nparker likes this

#22823 Mike K.

Mike K.
  • Administrator
  • 83,184 posts

Posted 12 May 2021 - 09:50 AM

It opens on Friday. There's a delay for fire alarm tests.


Know it all.
Citified.ca is Victoria's most comprehensive research resource for new-build homes and commercial spaces.


#22824 Nparker

Nparker
  • Member
  • 40,409 posts

Posted 12 May 2021 - 09:53 AM

It opens on Friday. There's a delay for fire alarm tests.

Testing to see how quickly they can be disconnected by the future residents?



#22825 sebberry

sebberry

    Resident Housekeeper

  • Moderator
  • 21,503 posts
  • LocationVictoria

Posted 12 May 2021 - 09:55 AM

It opens on Friday. There's a delay for fire alarm tests.

 

I'm sure they'll be tested pretty quickly one way or another.  


  • Nparker likes this

Victoria current weather by neighbourhood: Victoria school-based weather station network

Victoria webcams: Big Wave Dave Webcams

 


#22826 spanky123

spanky123
  • Member
  • 20,976 posts

Posted 12 May 2021 - 10:45 AM

Vic West residents are still in the dark as to what the game plan is for their neighbourhood. Nobody knows (at least not publicly) a thing about the Catherine site, or what the long-term plans are for Russell Street.

 

Simple math suggests there isn't enough space to cover the number of people currently camping. Eby said there would be 100 spaces between Russell St and the Tiny slum and yet we find out the plan was only ever for 60. Even the 100 spaces wasn't sufficient for the 204 people identified as campers.

 

My guess is that the BHP campers will be quietly moved to another park so that Eby and Helps can claim victory yet we will continue to see 24x7 camping and the CoV will do nothing to stop it.



#22827 Mike K.

Mike K.
  • Administrator
  • 83,184 posts

Posted 12 May 2021 - 10:53 AM

Isn’t capacity at Russell 70 shelter spaces, with 30 at the tiny homes?

Know it all.
Citified.ca is Victoria's most comprehensive research resource for new-build homes and commercial spaces.


#22828 spanky123

spanky123
  • Member
  • 20,976 posts

Posted 12 May 2021 - 11:39 AM

Isn’t capacity at Russell 70 shelter spaces, with 30 at the tiny homes?

 

That is what we were told but the latest release is that BC Housing has limited capacity to 30 people. 

 

Now the reality is that they are probably having a tough time getting even 30 people to move so it may likely just be a PR play.



#22829 Mike K.

Mike K.
  • Administrator
  • 83,184 posts

Posted 12 May 2021 - 12:04 PM

I thought the 30 spaces at Russell were part of a phased approach to capacity, for things to get ironed out before full capacity can be accommodated? It's tough to know what's really going on when the agencies involved are not overly communicative, at least not publicly.


Know it all.
Citified.ca is Victoria's most comprehensive research resource for new-build homes and commercial spaces.


#22830 spanky123

spanky123
  • Member
  • 20,976 posts

Posted 12 May 2021 - 12:33 PM

I thought the 30 spaces at Russell were part of a phased approach to capacity, for things to get ironed out before full capacity can be accommodated? It's tough to know what's really going on when the agencies involved are not overly communicative, at least not publicly.

 

While the shelter has space for about 70 people, the ­capacity is currently limited by the ­province to 30, Mingo said.

 

https://www.timescol...oors-1.24315266



#22831 Mike K.

Mike K.
  • Administrator
  • 83,184 posts

Posted 12 May 2021 - 01:49 PM

Right, currently limited to 30. I think they need to work out the kinks before opening capacity further.


Know it all.
Citified.ca is Victoria's most comprehensive research resource for new-build homes and commercial spaces.


#22832 spanky123

spanky123
  • Member
  • 20,976 posts

Posted 12 May 2021 - 01:53 PM

Right, currently limited to 30. I think they need to work out the kinks before opening capacity further.

 

Sure but how does that get 70 people out of tents by this week as promised or as I suggested earlier does it just give an excuse to say everyone has been offered housing but since it isn't available yet we will leave 24x7 camping open ended until it is.

 

BTW, word on the street is that they haven't been able to fill the 30 beds yet.


Edited by spanky123, 12 May 2021 - 01:53 PM.

  • Victoria Watcher likes this

#22833 Mike K.

Mike K.
  • Administrator
  • 83,184 posts

Posted 12 May 2021 - 02:13 PM

Those offered housing but unwilling to move will now be required to pack up by 7AM. I think the government needs to have sufficient capacity for all campers, in the event there is some form of legal action when enforcement begins of the 7AM pack-up.

 

This is a bit of a difficult time to open these facilities. The up-take would be significantly higher, I will assume, had this been October.


Know it all.
Citified.ca is Victoria's most comprehensive research resource for new-build homes and commercial spaces.


#22834 Mike K.

Mike K.
  • Administrator
  • 83,184 posts

Posted 12 May 2021 - 02:16 PM

Adding to the above, up-take might be so low, that they are only provisioning for 30 spaces (staff, supplies, resources, etc.).


Know it all.
Citified.ca is Victoria's most comprehensive research resource for new-build homes and commercial spaces.


#22835 Victoria Watcher

Victoria Watcher

    Old White Man On A Canadian Island

  • Member
  • 52,328 posts

Posted 12 May 2021 - 03:48 PM

seattle times:

 

 

 

IRS lifts hold on stimulus checks for many homeless people in King County

 

After months of waiting, hundreds to potentially thousands of homeless people in King County could finally receive their stimulus checks. After a Seattle Times inquiry, the Internal Revenue Service admitted it had flagged addresses of places where homeless people receive mail. Now, checks are being reissued.


Edited by Victoria Watcher, 12 May 2021 - 03:48 PM.


#22836 Nparker

Nparker
  • Member
  • 40,409 posts

Posted 12 May 2021 - 03:52 PM

Hopefully King County first responders are ready for a spike in overdoses.



#22837 rmpeers

rmpeers
  • Member
  • 2,618 posts

Posted 12 May 2021 - 04:42 PM

Those offered housing but unwilling to move will now be required to pack up by 7AM. I think the government needs to have sufficient capacity for all campers, in the event there is some form of legal action when enforcement begins of the 7AM pack-up.

This is a bit of a difficult time to open these facilities. The up-take would be significantly higher, I will assume, had this been October.


Given that anyone remaining in the park will be either hard-to-house or under the spell of activists, I don't envy the task of those asking them to pack up at 7am.

#22838 Victoria Watcher

Victoria Watcher

    Old White Man On A Canadian Island

  • Member
  • 52,328 posts

Posted 12 May 2021 - 05:16 PM

B.C. Premier asked to intervene in Penticton homeless shelter dispute

Mayor sends letter urging premier to reconsider Eby’s use of paramountcy powers

 

https://www.kelownac...helter-dispute/

 

 

attachicon.gif screenshot-www.kelownacapnews.com-2021.05.12-12_49_30.png

 

 

 

Dear Premier Horgan,

I am writing on behalf of the citizens of Penticton urging you to resolve the impasse between City residents and the Attorney General and Minister of Housing, David Eby. Penticton voters have expressed overwhelming support in two surveys for you to step in and work with City Council to correct the Minister’s handling of a temporary winter shelter located in the downtown core.

Penticton residents care about housing for those in need. The proof is evident from our past experience working with Provincial Ministers and BC Housing. Our city of 33,000 helps provide 1,906 provincially-funded units of non-market housing. This housing is the result of positive partnerships that reflect the very spirit of your own commitment to work with local municipalities.

However, under Minister Eby’s leadership, your government has changed course on cooperating with local communities. The Minister has misinformed British Columbians by inferring that Penticton is not doing its part in supportive housing. This is despite his own Ministry’s data indicating that Penticton has the highest number of supportive beds per capita in the B.C. interior.

Your government has been silent on the negative impact the shelter has had on vulnerable senior citizens, particularly on two seniors’ residences directly across the street. A crime density map shows that the shelter at 352 Winnipeg Street has become the epicentre for property crime in Penticton. This is a costly drain on police, fire and bylaw resources as well as being harmful to surrounding residents and businesses.

Your government has not been silent, however, on provoking and polarizing legitimate concerns. Minister Eby threatened to bring 1,000 tents and sleeping bags into the City when the shelter’s permit for lawful use in winter expired. It is odd that the Province’s top lawyer is silent on protecting vulnerable senior citizens from crime but vocal on encouraging Provincial action which directly inflicts such crime on those same senior citizens.

While there’s never a problem-free shelter location, integrating a shelter into surrounding neighbourhoods can be successful when Provincial leadership listens to the public and local concerns. Solving problems for one group should never bring harm or risk of safety to another. The goal should be to work together to find a better shelter location.

Penticton’s united City Council, along with thousands of residents who share our concerns, do not believe that your government is listening. We hope you will. We request your intervention to ensure the Province returns to working in partnership with Penticton and other municipalities to solve the housing issues. What may work in Victoria for temporary housing does not necessarily work for the rest of B.C.

As a start, please reconsider Minister Eby’s threat to invoke Provincial paramountcy to maintain an unlawful use of the shelter and instead direct BC Housing to apply solutions already suggested by City staff to find a better location, as Penticton Council requested in October 2020.

Respectfully,

John Vassilaki Mayor of Penticton

 

 

B.C.’s Attorney General David Eby has come out swinging only hours after Penticton’s mayor ran ads in newspapers urging the Premier to intervene in the homeless shelter dispute.

 

The tit-for-tat feud is ramping up again with Eby saying that those running the Victory Church homeless shelter are facing legal threats.

 

Only hours after the mayor’s ad went into several newspapers across Penticton and in the Victoria Times Colonist, Eby has already come out fighting back with a long reply.

 

 

https://www.vicnews....helter-dispute/

 

 

 

Here’s the rebuttal statement from Eby that was also sent to the mayor and council:

__

“The Times Colonist recently ran a paid advertisement from the Mayor of Penticton concerning the difficult and ongoing problem of homelessness in his community. Some parts of the advertisement were correct. Some were not.

“But I’m not going to quibble.

“The core of the issue is this: The Mayor of Penticton wants to close a fully occupied homeless shelter in Penticton. This would evict the 42 people who live in the shelter into the street, or a local park. There are no other shelter beds or homes available.

“To achieve this goal, the Mayor is supporting legal action against the non-profit that runs the shelter. As a result, the people doing the work of sheltering and supporting the homeless in Penticton are now facing legal threats from the city. I talked to these workers. They’re kind and dedicated. Just the right people to help those in distress. They could easily give up, but they won’t. I’m grateful for that.

“The Mayor’s advertisement ran in this Victoria-based newspaper. This is strange, because Victoria is one of the best models of provincial and municipal cooperation in British Columbia right now. Our governments have a signed a partnership agreement to address the homelessness crisis in city parks. We’re reaching a significant milestone this week as the city begins again enforcing park bylaws related to camping, and the final campers move inside to spaces made available by the province.

“In Penticton’s newspaper, a story ran about the city fencing in Penticton’s well-known Gyro Park bandshell. The fence is intended to stop people from sleeping under the bandshell, among other undesirable activities. On the issue of fencing the bandshell to keep Penticton’s homeless out, the Mayor blamed BC Housing. He said: “I just hope BC Housing is paying attention to the mess they’re creating.”

“Similar news stories run regularly in Penticton about homeless structures, tents, homelessness, drug use, poverty, and related bylaw enforcement. They’ve run for many years now. That’s because Penticton has a serious and interrelated homelessness, mental health and addiction problem.

“I try to imagine how this long-term problem in Penticton will be improved if the Mayor manages to put another 42 people out into the street. I wonder how leaving 42 people with nowhere to go at night will make seniors in Penticton feel safer or address crime rates, which is what the advertisement said the Mayor wants.

“By contrast, in Victoria a “tiny homes” development finishes construction this week. 30 people who currently live in a park will move in this Friday. These homes were built through a unique partnership between the city, a private developer, neighbours, donors, volunteers, and the provincial government. It’s an inspiring example of how partners can work together to lift up people in distress.

“The tiny homes site is a pilot project. BC Housing has not joined in on a tiny homes project like this before. Everyone is hoping it will be successful, but there’s always the risk of problems. It is only the strength of partnership that allows us all to take this chance and try something new. Partnership makes it possible to respond quickly to local opportunities. Those 30 people would still be in a park next week if we didn’t have a strong partnership with Victoria. Instead they’ll be housed.

“Penticton’s residents, housed and unhoused, deserve the benefits of partnership too. My door remains open.”


Edited by Victoria Watcher, 12 May 2021 - 05:17 PM.


#22839 A Girl is No one

A Girl is No one
  • Member
  • 2,495 posts

Posted 12 May 2021 - 05:32 PM

One could argue that these 30 people would not have been in tents in Victoria’s BHP had it not been for the free housing for ever promises.

I have lost all faith in Eby.
  • Victoria Watcher likes this

#22840 Nparker

Nparker
  • Member
  • 40,409 posts

Posted 12 May 2021 - 06:07 PM

...The Mayor’s advertisement ran in this Victoria-based newspaper. This is strange, because Victoria is one of the best models of provincial and municipal cooperation in British Columbia right now...

A model of dysfunction, crime and hopelessness. But perhaps that is what Eby wants.


  • A Girl is No one likes this

You're not quite at the end of this discussion topic!

Use the page links at the lower-left to go to the next page to read additional posts.
 



10 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 10 guests, 0 anonymous users