Agenda Index City of Vancouver

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

J. Davidson/7670

TO:

Vancouver City Council

FROM:

Director of the Housing Centre

SUBJECT:

Shelterless in Vancouver

 

INFORMATION

COUNCIL POLICY

Council's housing priorities are low and modest income families with children, seniors, low-income singles living in downtown rooming houses and hotels, and those with mental or physical disabilities. The City has undertaken several initiatives to prevent homelessness, including development of new social housing and provision of community services.

On January 5, 1999 City Council joined other Canadian municipalities in declaring homelessness a national disaster and passed a number of motions calling for action by the Federal government and supporting FCM's call for Federal action.

PURPOSE

This report presents information about the shelterless in Vancouver that has been gathered as part of the work of City staff who provide housing relocation assistance to those who have difficulties finding housing. The report describes the findings from a series of nighttime walkabouts by staff and volunteers who have searched the streets of Vancouver to find, count, wake, interview and offer services to the people who live in the streets. The purpose of these walkabouts is to:

BACKGROUND

In recent years there has been increased public concern about homelessness - those who are without homes, living on the streets or in temporary shelters and those who are at risk of homelessness, because they live in unaffordable or inadequate housing.

The walkabouts described in this report originated from four after-dark searches of the West End conducted by TAP (Tenant Assistance Program) staff in the Housing Centre in 1993. At that time, we searched a different area each night, one night a week for four weeks.

Through 1995-1999 Tenant Assistance Program staff received many calls from the public and the media expressing concern about the increase in the numbers of shelterless in Vancouver. Observations during the day suggested that the numbers were increasing. Agencies' estimates of the number of shelterless people varied widely. As TAP works regularly in residential hotels, social housing, and the streets, we were aware that a number of panhandlers and binners, who are often presumed to be homeless, were in fact very poor but did have rooms to return to at night. However, we were unable to state objectively whether the number without shelter was actually increasing.

During the 1996 Census, TAP provided Statistics Canada with advice and training for their "casual count" of those living out of doors. Unfortunately, their budget was very restricted, the areas searched were limited, and no official numbers have been released.

In 1998 the Housing Centre reviewed American studies on counting the homeless that validated the walkabout methodology we had developed. A combination of the need for information, increased referrals, professional curiosity, and the validation of the methodology by the US studies encouraged us to start an intense series of late night/early morning walks to see for ourselves who was living on the street. This report summarizes those findings.

It is important to understand that these walkabouts do not constitute a census of the shelterless in the city - this would require city-wide sweeps a couple of times a year over several years by well-trained searchers - a very expensive exercise. The walkabouts have been conducted with limited financial resources and each has focussed on particular areas of the city.

This report focuses on people who are "living rough" - those who are sleeping outside, in garages, doorways alleys, parks or beaches. It does not include people who are staying in shelters, or others who fall between the cracks in the housing system but who find ways to stay indoors with friends, by paying guest fees in residential hotels, slipping into apartment building stairwells, staying in squats or by staying awake at night and sleeping during the day.

During a trip to Toronto in 1998, two days and two nights were spent interviewing shelterless people and touring shelters and services. Conversations were held with over 100 homeless people. Information from that experience has been compared with the Vancouver situation.

DISCUSSION

Method
Tracking down shelterless people is difficult. They do not stay in easily recognizable locations and they change locations. A person may sleep outside one night and bunk in with an acquaintance/friend the next night.

To find the best method, we reviewed the literature dealing with the methods used in other jurisdictions. We decided that the best approach was to go out at night in small groups and look in likely locations. Once people or "nests" were spotted, the team would gently approach the person and strike up a conversation. The shelterless talked about their stories and problems and staff offered assistance for housing and other services. Every effort was made to be respectful of the persons we found sleeping outside.

To our knowledge, this method has not been used in Canada before, although similar counts have been done in the U.S. (Practical Methods for Counting Homeless People: a Manual for States and Local Jurisdictions, published by the Interagency Council on the Homeless and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development). We hope that the walks can be repeated on a regular basis, perhaps annually or bi-annually, to update our information and provide assistance to those who want it.

The searches were done by the Tenant Assistance Program (TAP) staff in the Housing Centre accompanied by volunteers. The most effective time to search was 2:00 - 6:00 AM, when the City is most still. In total 27, walkabouts were done from the fall of 1998 to the spring 2001. Most areas were searched at least once. Some areas were searched several times to establish variations over different nights and seasons. Walks were done in areas where agencies, police, and staff knew that people were often living outside.

Limits have been defined by time, safety, resources, learning curves, and respect for private property. For instance, we know of about a half dozen people (there may be more) who sleep on the porches or the garages in Kitsilano, with the homeowner's permission. However, we did not search the porches or closed garages of homes in Kitsilano or Commercial Drive. For safety reasons, we also made no attempt to explore possible squats, and did not climb, crawl or enter areas we could not see into with a flashlight.

A person was counted as shelterless only if they were found:

After initiating a conversation, it was determined that some people had passed out under the influence on their way home. They were assisted but excluded from the count.

The model has proven itself to be manageable, with little financial cost. It provided another benefit - the opportunity to interview the homeless in their own environment, sometimes meeting the same person several times. The people in the streets were more willing to disclose honest information with us in the middle of the night than they were during the day. All of those we interviewed more than once were touched that we had returned to them. Relationships have been established, and follow-up service has been provided, including relocation to indoor housing for some.

The characteristics of people who talked to us during these walkabouts were quite similar to the characteristics of the shelterless documented in "Homelessness - Causes & Effects", 2001 by the provincial government. This four volume report, which is available at the City Clerk's Office, provides extensive information about homelessness in BC, the relationship between homelessness and use of government support systems, the costs of homelessness in BC and approaches in other provinces.

Findings
Searches were undertaken in the West End, Central Business District, Gastown, Downtown Eastside, Commercial Drive, Kitsilano, the beaches, and the waterfront from Stanley Park to Clark Drive. Parts of Stanley Park have been searched at night, during the day for "nests", using reports from Sanitation and Park workers, and thoroughly with the Mounted Squad several times.

After each walkabout, the information was documented with a map and text. Recorded were the date and time, number of people with whom we spoke, the number of active but empty nests, abandoned nests, information about the individual's situation where they wished to provide it, weather, and timing relative to welfare cheque issuance. None of that information is provided here, except in summary form, for privacy and safety reasons. Each walk ranged in distance from half a dozen to 70 blocks. The number of people and nests found ranged from 2 to 30 people per walk. It would be impossible to find all the people living outside in these areas during the walks. However, a variety of agencies either participated on the walks or provided information and as a result, we believe that most of the shelterless in these areas were found.

The data from the walkabouts has been combined with information from other sources to estimate the number of shelterless in the City. The sources include: site visits resulting from phone calls to TAP from City departments, agencies and the public; the casual Census count; and agencies that have contact with the shelterless. These agencies include Community Police Offices, Saferide Vancouver, Greater Vancouver Mental Health Services (now part of the Vancouver Richmond Health Board), Downtown BIA Outreach office, the Mounted Squad in Stanley Park, libraries and churches. On the basis of this information we estimate that about 300-600 (depending on the season) sleep outside in the city on any given night. This is in addition to the 300-400 people staying in shelters.

In terms of location, urban campers are most readily found near densely populated areas, fast food outlets, laundromats and liquor stores - the same areas which appeal to many single people. The shelterless do not distribute themselves evenly across the city. They look for alcoves, bushes, trees, landscaping, underground parking lots, and stairwells in parking lots, under bridges and overpasses, unlocked public buildings and washrooms. In Vancouver, some, but not many, live on the beaches and in parks. Men who do day labour may sometimes sleep in industrial areas. The very young like to be close to the services they access during the day. Generally the shelterless look for areas where they can leave their bedding and packs undisturbed. Specific locations change, for example, when parking lots put up gates, lighting is installed or areas increase in danger. The areas where homeless are seen during the daytime are often not where they sleep.

Almost all the people we found are adults, between the ages of 19 and 70. Most people who live outside year round are between 25 and 45. The summer tends to bring an increase of younger people. The vast majority of people living outside are male. There are some younger women and a few women over the age of 40.

Aboriginals are disportionately represented. Over a fifth of the people found were aboriginal, compared to about 2% of the City population.

Mental health is difficult to assess in the street, where all suffer sleep deprivation, and all have adapted to a chaotic environment. Repeated visits to the same people over many months and sometimes years, make it possible to witness times of mood-change, mania and depression. Symptoms of mental illness appeared from time to time in at least one third of those found. Head traumas from job-related injury, car or bike accidents were reported by some.

At least two-thirds of those found suffered severe addictions to drugs and/or alcohol. This includes those who were unable to access detox and recovery houses, and moved outside and tried to detox themselves away from the temptations of the downtown core.

A fair number said they could not find housing because they have no income. They mentioned that they do not qualify for social assistance or they have given up because the the application process can take weeks or months. Others reported that in the past they qualified for Employment Insurance or student loans, but are no longer eligible.

Other characteristics that emerged were: memories of frequent moves or foster care during their childhood; sexual abuse; fetal alcohol syndrome; gender confusion; poor relationships with step parents; strong interest in the visual arts, performing arts, and in making music, but not necessary listening to music; history of dyslexia and reading difficulties; love of animals and a love of nature.

During these searches, families were not found living outside, as has been reported in Toronto and other North American cities. This is likely because families who are found living in cars and parks are eligible for provincial assistance and immediately moved into transition houses and then into rental housing.

From the brief but intensive visit in Toronto, it appears as though there are many more shelterless there than in Vancouver. Here, even in neighbourhoods where we would consider shelterlessness to be prevalent, we have to really search to find many people sleeping out. In Toronto, as we knelt on the pavement talking with one person, we could always see the next two or three we would be talking with. In most blocks there were three steam grates, and someone slept on every steam grate. In shop doorways, as many as eight under-age youth slept closely, side by side. In better neighbourhoods, older men and women curled up alone outside boutiques and bistros.

Typical Group Characteristics
This report avoids describing the stories of individuals for privacy and security reasons, although many people were eager to describe their situation. Instead, a description of some of the characteristics of various age and gender groupings is provided. These are generalizations and further more rigorous research would be needed to confirm their accuracy. And like all generalizations about people, there are always exceptions.

Under 19 year olds
There are very few under 19 year olds who are shelterless and living on the streets. They comprised less than a fifth of the people who were contacted. Where young people were found, they tend to stay in small groups, rather than on their own.

Young women, 18 to mid 30s
Almost all the young women lived with a man. Typically she would like to move inside, he wants to stay out. These women are usually involved in substance use and may be involved in the sex trade to support the couple's drug use.

Women over 40
Most are not involved with substance use, but often are mentally ill. The magnitude of their illness is not always initially apparent, but becomes more obvious over a period of a year or more. When the illness is treated, most choose to move indoors.

Young men, 18 to mid 30s
Usually these men are using drugs. If they are mentally ill, they may isolate themselves from others. Otherwise they tend to form friendships, and may live with a male friend, a woman, or a small group. There are men who move in and out of housing depending on their employment, and may live in their cars or trucks between jobs. Others may gradually stay longer and longer in the streets and may not return to indoor living. Gradually they are eased out of the job market, and spend time panhandling and binning. They lose contact with family and normal socializing activities, and cease to have connections to or be part of any social network. Some suffer a swift descent into addiction. Many find recovery and return to their homes. Others die from overdose or disease.

Men over 40
There are two different groups here. Some live outside in almost complete isolation, mildly to moderately mentally ill. Others are addicted to alcohol. These tend to be the most physically unhealthy of the shelterless. They may refuse medical treatment even when they are losing limbs to infection. Fortunately many are "characters", and are usually supported by younger street people.

Another generalization is that there are sometimes differences between the people who stay in shelters and those who live on the streets. People in shelters often see themselves as homeless and long for a place to live. Those who live in the streets for more than a few weeks see themselves as having a home - an alcove in an alley that they return to each night or a piece of foam on a board under the on-ramp of an overpass.

The number of shelterless varies by season, with higher numbers in the summer when more people, particularly younger people, come to Vancouver. This could be people from Eastern Canada on their way to pick fruit in the Interior, or poor people travelling the country. The number of shelterless goes up before welfare cheque issue day and down in severe weather conditions.

Some of the people are shelterless episodically, others are chronic. Over time, episodic can become chronic. After a year or so outside, people become accustomed to living outside and rarely move in, unless they feel that their lives or health are threatened.

The Cold Wet weather strategy provides additional shelter beds during the winter and is funded mainly by the provincial government with recent additional funding through the federal homelessness program, Supporting Community Partnerships Initiatives. The expansion of beds in the last few years has been successful in getting more people inside. As a result, the number of shelterless has not increased.

CONCLUSION

As most city residents will attest, real, absolute homelessness exists in Vancouver. The numbers of shelterless people is not huge, but represents a problem which governments and communities want to solve.

This report presents information about the shelterless which has been gathered from a variety of sources and describes a walkabout method which will continue to be used in Vancouver, and which may be of interest in other cities. The walkabouts can:

· provide information to help estimate and understand the shelterless
· assist the shelterless in that those in need of service are provided with on-the-spot advice and follow-up contact with service providers (if wanted)

The information in this report will be used to assist City staff in their work and in recommending programs to reduce absolute homelessness.

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