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Victoria homelessness and street-related issues


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#18461 pennymurphy2000

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Posted 09 July 2020 - 07:07 AM

Oak Bay Lodge is 80 or 100 metres from Oak Bay High School as the crow flies.

So let's contemplate Lisa Helps thinking that it's somehow appropriate to dump 250 mentally ill, drug addicted miscreants and freeloaders 80 metres from one of the regions largest high schools, a high school that has it's own issues of trying to protect teen aged students from themselves, and their inclination to believe they're "fentanyl proof" and ultimately indestructible.

 

 

She had zero problems with the idea of placing a low barrier shelter mere feet from an elementary school. The parents and neighbours fought like hell to get it changed from a low barrier shelter to a facility that only admits those over 55 years old with no active drug usage permitted. 


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#18462 rmpeers

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Posted 09 July 2020 - 07:19 AM

The mayor says the lodge has 238 units which is about the number of homeless people in the region. Spoiler alert: if this happens, within a few weeks, we will be told there are still several hundred more people needing homes.

If I honestly thought they had a real solution, I'd support it; but the same thing happens every time. It's Charlie Brown and the football.
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#18463 Nparker

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Posted 09 July 2020 - 07:20 AM

The mayor says the lodge has 238 units which is about the number of homeless people in the region. Spoiler alert: if this happens, within a few weeks, we will be told there are still several hundred more people needing homes...

Exactly. No one in the industry actually wants to solve homelessness.


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#18464 Spy Black

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Posted 09 July 2020 - 07:24 AM

In this case, though, the entire board, including Mayor Murdoch, voted in support of Helps’ motion.
 

True Mike, but I think Murdoch voting to "look into it" is very different from Oak Bay Council actually agreeing to it by a vote in their own chambers.

As for the rest of the municipalities, I guess I'd ask what they have to lose by agreeing to look into it?

Oak Bay Lodge is in Oak Bay, so it's no skin off Colwood or Langfords nose if the 250 Beacon Hill Park residents move to Oak Bay!

 

I seriously doubt that Langford or Colwood even really care about what's currently going on in Beacon Hill Park let alone what might happen in Oak Bay sometime in the future, so voting in a "woke" manner makes them look good, while having no impact whatsoever on the residents of their municipalities (although that could change if the proposed residents burn the Oak Bay Lodge down, as a CRD property everybody would then pay).

 

The CRD Board is anything but functional at the best of times, with each municipality representing their own interests in vote after vote. Very little of substance ever gets done without the powers that be actually ordering the CRD Board "do it" (see Provincially mandated sewage treatment for an example).


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#18465 spanky123

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Posted 09 July 2020 - 07:46 AM

Lets not forget this comment from the TC article

 

“The suggestion of [using] Oak Bay Lodge was just brought forward to B.C. Housing’s attention today, so we don’t have any details about this opportunity yet, but look forward to discussing it with our local partners, including Island Health,” the statement said.

 

So basically Helps sprang the motion on the CRD board and stakeholders at the last minute without any prior discussion. What a big surprise, it is the way she does business. Although I still believe that a deal was cut for the NDP seat a year and a half ago, it is stuff like this that makes we wonder why anyone would ever take her on as a candidate.

 

I agree with Spy Black, this will either get relegated to the endless study loop or quietly get dropped. Nobody wanted to appear as being non-supportive of the homeless at the board meeting and none had the opportunity to think this through in advance.

 

We also know that the existing hotel rooms aren't even full. Earlier this week it was reported that a "majority" of the rooms were full but that only means somewhere between 51% and 100%.


Edited by spanky123, 09 July 2020 - 07:47 AM.

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#18466 baconnbits

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Posted 09 July 2020 - 09:24 AM

I bet this goes 55+ and no active drug use if it goes anywhere. And there isn’t much problem with that. They should sell it to a private developer under the criteria it operate as affordable housing.
I doubt many in oak bay would be against that

#18467 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 09 July 2020 - 09:43 AM

I bet this goes 55+ and no active drug use if it goes anywhere. And there isn’t much problem with that. They should sell it to a private developer under the criteria it operate as affordable housing.
I doubt many in oak bay would be against that

 

wouldn't it be better to sell it for a better use than that and then use the money elsewhere to build something?


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#18468 Awaiting Juno

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Posted 09 July 2020 - 12:06 PM

The idea of giving the homeless homes in the most expensive areas of the country is the bit that astounds me - if one is to do this why wouldn't it be done in such a way to maximize the number of homes available?  ie. Choosing communities where buying housing is not prohibitively expensive?  Why wouldn't you also improve the access to needed supports in those communities (employment lift to affordable communities)?  


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#18469 Love the rock

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Posted 09 July 2020 - 01:30 PM

With so many homeless arriving at Victoria’s doorstep isn’t it cheaper to see who has outstanding warrants and send them back . I’d gladly pay a designated officer to check and deliver criminals  to face their outstanding warrants  . At least it would feel like we’re trying to slow down the criminal element instead of encouraging it .Why should Victoria tax payers be  responsible for them until they are arrested again or die .  
 


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#18470 A Girl is No one

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Posted 09 July 2020 - 01:31 PM

She had zero problems with the idea of placing a low barrier shelter mere feet from an elementary school. The parents and neighbours fought like hell to get it changed from a low barrier shelter to a facility that only admits those over 55 years old with no active drug usage permitted.

She also created one across the street from a high school on Pandora (I think it’s Pandora), next to the fire station. It was going to be the best thing ever for the students.
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#18471 aastra

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Posted 09 July 2020 - 01:32 PM

They've tried so hard to cement the notion re: location being especially crucial when addressing homelessness or addiction, even though there might be no other aspect of human affairs for which location/location/location could be less relevant. I've already made the analogy re: providing water in downtown Victoria in order to help people who are dying of thirst out in the desert. What message are you sending with that program?

 

This continues to be one of the big cues re: the political falseness of it all. Only the politics requires everything to be concentrated and centralized and highly visible. If you were sincerely trying to help people, centralization and visibility and choice locations would obviously be irrelevant.

 

If you're homeless then you need a home. You don't need a home in downtown Victoria or in some specific neighbourhood. If you're addicted then you need your addiction to be addressed. You don't need your addiction to be addressed in downtown Victoria or in some specific neighbourhood.

 

There's a heaping dose of "rubbing your face in it" with this emphasis on location. Every homeless person should have the right to be housed in downtown Victoria! Okay... so should every non-homeless person also have the right to be housed in downtown Victoria? Of course not, don't be stupid. Go to Toronto if living in a downtown apartment is so important to you.

 

Hey, did you hear the Oak Bay Lodge is going to be turned into homeless housing?

 

I'm in favour! Everyone should be allowed to live in Oak Bay.

 

My mistake, I meant the Oak Bay Lodge is going to be turned into rental apartments.

 

I'm opposed! I don't want those renters living in Oak Bay.

 

(I should say, getting the other municipalities involved would be an essential piece of the puzzle if we were sincere with this effort to address homelessness. I've made this point many times. But 238 beds at a single site in little Oak Bay? Do these people really have no grasp whatsoever of proportionality? How many beds should Saanich have? 2,000? How many beds should Greater Victoria have? 6,000?)


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#18472 Nparker

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Posted 09 July 2020 - 01:37 PM

 

If you're homeless then you need a home. You don't need a home in downtown Victoria or in some specific neighbourhood. If you're addicted then you need your addiction to be addressed. You don't need your addiction to be addressed in downtown Victoria or in some specific neighbourhood.

This.


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#18473 aastra

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Posted 09 July 2020 - 01:39 PM

 

How many beds should Saanich have? 2,000?

 

And all in one place. Think a skyscraper version of View Towers.


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#18474 baconnbits

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Posted 09 July 2020 - 01:46 PM

wouldn't it be better to sell it for a better use than that and then use the money elsewhere to build something?


Definitely.

I’m told this was a motion without notice and the proposal
To study as a temporary homeless shelter included about 8 other things to study but the TC latched onto the drastic headline.
The building itself is in very bad shape and requires a lot of deferred maintenence to get it suitable for any use. Oak bay will run a process over the next 12 months over future of facility. They’d like to see it have senior and dementia care. Some affordable or rental housing and some market housing.
No one thinks this goes to a temporary shelter. It’s not zoned for housing. It’s zoned for hospital use and so temporary housing would be a violation of zoning There let alone proximity to city.
City should continue its strategy of buying hotels w BC housing and province.

#18475 Love the rock

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Posted 09 July 2020 - 01:56 PM

Saanich requires tenters to pack up during the day good for Saanich . We don’t need Lisa’s style of governing any where else in the capital regional district at all .  Having  towers of homeless anywhere would do nothing  but encourage more homeless to move here .   


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#18476 Nparker

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Posted 09 July 2020 - 02:01 PM

...City should continue its strategy of buying hotels w BC housing and province.

"City" (presumably the City of Victoria) should start enforcing existing overnight camping bylaws and there would be an immediate reduction in "homelessness".


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#18477 rmpeers

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Posted 09 July 2020 - 02:01 PM

With so many homeless arriving at Victoria’s doorstep isn’t it cheaper to see who has outstanding warrants and send them back . I’d gladly pay a designated officer to check and deliver criminals to face their outstanding warrants . At least it would feel like we’re trying to slow down the criminal element instead of encouraging it .Why should Victoria tax payers be responsible for them until they are arrested again or die .


If they could somehow lessen the criminality element, they would likely quickly find some of the public support and sympathy would return... but perhaps that is not what they want? (I.e., wedge issue)

#18478 spanky123

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Posted 09 July 2020 - 03:06 PM

Definitely.

I’m told this was a motion without notice and the proposal

 

Of course it with notice. That is Helps' MO. If people had notice then they would have a chance to garner public opinion, check with staff and come to the meeting informed. Why would she want that?

 

This way she forces a vote and if you don't support it you are racist.


Edited by spanky123, 09 July 2020 - 03:06 PM.

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#18479 pennymurphy2000

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Posted 09 July 2020 - 03:25 PM

Definitely.

I’m told this was a motion without notice and the proposal
To study as a temporary homeless shelter included about 8 other things to study but the TC latched onto the drastic headline.
The building itself is in very bad shape and requires a lot of deferred maintenence to get it suitable for any use. Oak bay will run a process over the next 12 months over future of facility. They’d like to see it have senior and dementia care. Some affordable or rental housing and some market housing.
No one thinks this goes to a temporary shelter. It’s not zoned for housing. It’s zoned for hospital use and so temporary housing would be a violation of zoning There let alone proximity to city.
City should continue its strategy of buying hotels w BC housing and province.

Mt Edwards was in terrible shape and BC Housing bought it anyway. Mt. Edwards wasn't zoned for housing, either was Central Care Home. Turning this into a low barrier shelter is not a new idea. This property has been on the radar since the tent city days. 



#18480 On the Level

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Posted 09 July 2020 - 04:22 PM

"City" (presumably the City of Victoria) should start enforcing existing overnight camping bylaws and there would be an immediate reduction in "homelessness".

 

That goes against the goal of terrorizing CoV citizens as a bargaining chip for what they are trying to achieve.  


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