ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

Author: J. Graves

Phone No.: 604.873-7488

RTS No. 03962

TO:

Vancouver City Council

FROM:

Director, Housing Centre

SUBJECT:

Shelterless in Vancouver, 2004

 

INFORMATION

The General Manager/City Manager submits this report for 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 updated information about the shelterless in Vancouver, gathered as part of the work of City staff who provide housing relocation assistance to those with difficulties finding housing. The report describes the findings from over 25 night-time walkabouts of Vancouver streets, carried out between 2001 and 2003, to find, count, wake, interview, and offer services to the people Aliving rough@ - those who are sleeping outside, in garages, doorways, alleys, parks and beaches, under bridges and overpasses.
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. This report is an up-date of a similar report done in 2001. Trying to establish the number of 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. Some feel safer sleeping during the day and walking at night - most, even at night, rarely sleep longer than three or four hours at a time. And a number of panhandlers and binners, who are often presumed to be homeless, are very poor, but do have rooms to return to at night.

Since 1998, Housing Centre staff and volunteers have conducted an intense series of late night/early morning walks to:

The searches were done by the Tenant Assistance Program (TAP) staff in the Housing Centre accompanied by volunteers. Searching was done by foot alone, sometimes with the use of a vehicle to travel between neighbourhoods or parks. The most effective time to search was between two am and six am, when the city is most still, body temperature drops, and even those shelterless not asleep, tend to remain still.

The same staff person does all the walks, usually accompanied by a single volunteer. Once people or Anests@ are spotted, the team gently approaches the person and strikes up a conversation. The shelterless talk about their stories and problems and staff offer assistance for housing and other services. Every effort is made to be respectful of the persons we found sleeping outside. A person was counted as shelterless only if they were found:

This model for counting the homeless 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 walkabouts provide limited but accurate information on how many are sleeping out, who they are, and why they are there. They do not represent a city-wide census of those sleeping out, as this would require city-wide sweeps a couple of times a year over several years by well-trained searchers - a very expensive exercise. Nor do they provide a census of the homeless in Vancouver, because they do not account for: a) homeless who are accommodated in shelters, & b) those homeless who stay indoors. The majority of the homeless people TAP assists sleep indoors, usually moving between relatives, friends and acquaintances, or sleeping in other people=s SROs. This indoor homelessness is referred to as Asofa surfing@ or Acouch crashing@, or more officially as Athe hidden homeless@. Although warm and dry, the experience of indoor homelessness can be as emotionally devastating as outdoor shelterlessness to the person who must endure it.

THE 2001-2003 WALKABOUTS

Over 25 walkabouts were done from the spring of 2001 to the fall of 2003. Most areas were searched more than once. Most areas were searched several times to establish variations over different nights and seasons. Walks were done in areas where agencies, police, staff or the public knew that people were sometimes living outside. In addition, each season, daytime searches were done of Stanley Park, with the assistance of the VPD Mounted Squad, and the Sanitation foreman, and supplemented by information from the Park Board Forestry crews. This count includes the individuals who regularly or temporarily make their home in Stanley Park.

Searches were undertaken in the West End, Central Business District, Gastown, Downtown Eastside, Kingsway, Mount Pleasant, Commercial Drive, Strathcona, including the community gardens, east False Creek Flats, the False Creek industrial and residential areas, Kerrisdale, Kitsilano, the beaches, and the waterfront from Stanley Park to Clark Drive, and Point Grey. A single search was done of the north east waterfront area, Commercial to Britannia Park, Hastings to the water. The Marpole Industrial area was searched during daylight, because most campers there are nocturnal and are not there during the night. One overnight search with Park Board Staff focussed on the Stanley District parks. Each walk ranged in distance from 25 to 70 blocks, and the corresponding alleys and parks.

The number of shelterless found varies by season, with higher numbers in the summer, when more people come to Vancouver. This could be people from Eastern Canada coming to pick fruit in the Interior, or poor people travelling the country. The number of shelterless goes up before welfare cheque issue, down on the first night of the month when new tenancies begin, and down during severe weather conditions.

After each walkabout, the information was documented with 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, and where possible, gender, age and ethnicity. The walk is also documented as a narrative for future reference. None of that information is provided here, except in summary form, for privacy and safety reasons. The number of people and current nests found ranged from one to fifty-three per walk. It would be impossible to find all the people living outside in these areas during the walks. However, a variety of agencies, and other informants either participated on the walks or provided information and as a result, we believe that most of the shelterless in these areas were found, or accounted for.

The characteristics of people who talked to us during these walkabouts were quite similar to the characteristics of the shelterless documented in AHomelessness - 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.

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, the public, and agencies that have contact with the shelterless. These agencies include Business Improvement Associations, Community Police Offices, Saferide Vancouver, MHR, Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, neighbourhood houses, community centres, community groups, the Mounted Squad in Stanley District Parks, libraries, churches, and the DTES Health Contact Centre.

FINDINGS

On the basis of this information we estimate that about 500 to 1,200 sleep out of doors in the city of Vancouver on any given night, roughly double the number we reported in 2001. The number varies depending on the season, and other factors. This number is in addition to the approximately six hundred to seven hundred people staying in Vancouver=s shelters each night (see Appendix A). The number of shelter spaces in Vancouver has increased by about 150 beds since 2001. At the same time the number of turnaways at some shelters has more than doubled since 2001.

Vancouver has seen seven camp or tent-city type demonstrations over the past 18 months. This report does not include a count of the people in these camps. During some of the tent cities we saw a slight drop in the number of people living in the streets in other areas, and an almost imperceptible increase when the tents were taken down. We have decided that the tent cities did not significantly effect the numbers presented here.

In terms of location, the shelterless do not distribute themselves evenly across the city. Urban campers are most readily found near densely populated areas, fast food outlets, laundromats and liquor stores - the same areas which appeal to any single urban person. The shelterless look for safety in alcoves, bushes, trees, landscaping, underground parking lots, the stairwells of parking lots, under bridges and overpasses, public buildings and washrooms, and in unlocked vehicles. In Vancouver, some live on the beaches and in parks. Men who do day labour may sometimes sleep in industrial areas. All people, especially 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 erect gates, lighting is installed or areas increase in danger. The areas where homeless are seen during the daytime may not be where they sleep.

Since 2001 there have been some changes in the places we are finding people living outside. The shelterless are now appearing in single-family neighbourhoods far from the downtown core, where there has rarely before been a report of someone living in the streets. Agencies in these neighbourhoods are now struggling to find ways to support and resource small but growing numbers of shelterless.

Shelterless - General Characteristics

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 majority of people living outside are male. The male/female ratio varies between neighbourhoods, reaching one-third in some areas, with almost no women in others.

Aboriginals are disproportionately represented. At least one quarter of the people found sleeping outside were aboriginal, compared to about two percent of the City population.

Mental health is difficult to assess in the street, where all suffer sleep deprivation, and malnutrition, 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. Most people living in the streets show symptoms of severe depression; many of these describe themselves as depressed. They say they often think of suicide.

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 had moved outside and tried to detox themselves in parks away from the temptations of the downtown core.

About one-half of those woken said they could not find housing because they have no income. They mentioned that they no longer qualify for social assistance or they have given up because 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. Most rely, at least in part, on recycling things they find in dumpsters and collecting bottles as a source of income.

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; childhood arthritis, strong interest in the visual arts, performing arts, and music; history of dyslexia and reading difficulties; love of animals and a love of nature. About one-half of the shelterless are parents, some of whom are able to maintain contact with their children.

During these searches, families were not found living outside as has been reported in other parts of the GVRD. This is likely because there is a range of services in Vancouver which is able to move families into shelter or housing quickly.

Shelterless - 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 relatively few under 19 year olds who are shelterless and living on the streets. Where very young people are found, they tend to stay with small groups, rather than on their own.

Young women, 18 to mid 30s: Most young, shelterless women stay with a man. Typically she would like to move inside, he wants to stay out. We have been seeing an increase in the number of young women living outside. Some of the women are 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, or is in remission, most choose to move indoors.

Young men, 18 to mid 30s: Some of these men are working at part-time or minimum wage jobs. Some are mentally ill, and isolate themselves from others. Otherwise they tend to form friendships and may live with a male friend, a woman, or a small group of three to five people. 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 any social network. Some suffer a swift descent into addiction. Some 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 and other drugs, and 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 Acharacters@, and are usually supported by younger street people and compassionate people in the neighbourhood.

We have seen several of the older shelterless diagnosed with frontal lobe dementia when they were brought into hospital or shelter. It is very difficult to get a diagnosis while the person is living in the street.

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 are more able, for a variety of reasons, to receive help from the social service system. Because they receive attention, they are more likely to return quickly to tenancy in indoor housing. Those who live in the streets for more than a few months may find it more difficult to access assistance, and housing. They soon become isolated, and alienated, and may see themselves as having a home - an alcove in an alley that they return to each night or a piece of foam under the on-ramp of an overpass. The longer a person lives out of doors, the more difficult it will be for them to move in again.

CHANGE SINCE THE 2001 REPORTING

Our searches during 2001 - 2003 did note some changes. We found a decrease in teens (age 18 or less) living rough. This is coupled with a sharp increase in the number of young adults, age 19 to 29. In most of our overnight searches, at least two-thirds of the people we found were between 20 and 34 years of age. Unfortunately, this is the age group most vulnerable to methamphetamine addiction when shelterless.

In terms of ethnicity, there has been an increase in the number of Aboriginal people, both men and women, living out. In the DTES, roughly two-thirds are Aboriginal, and up to a third of the shelterless in the West End and Kitsilano. In addition, before 2001 it was rare to find a person of Asian origin living in the streets but it has now become common.

The most startling change to report is the increase in the number of employed persons, usually male, aged about 24 to late 40's who are working, but who live outside or try to find shelter in mat programs a night at a time. Much of the work available is part time, and pays at minimum wage or little more. Many of the employed shelterless do heavy physical work through labour pools, some work in restaurants or as house painters and dry wallers for contractors. They are often laid off when it rains, or business is slow and may not be able to secure employment every day. Even working full time, their pay is so low that they are unable to save the security deposit and first month=s rent for a room while they are living outside.

The Tenant Assistance Program has also been finding college and university students who have become literally homeless. Sometimes this is explained by late approval of student loans, resulting in eviction for non-payment. More frequently, the students say the cause is the high rents in the Lower Mainland, coupled with the low pay and instability of part time employment.

About half of the shelterless people we wake at night tell us that they do not have any income because they have difficulty accessing the new welfare system. Before assistance is received, the system now involves several appointments, delays, and tasks they find overly challenging. This seems to have been a particular problem for people with head injury, mental illness, severe depression, young people who are trying to find work, prisoners following their release from incarceration, those raised in foster care in BC, and immigrants and refugees.

There is concern that the new series of MHR cutbacks, scheduled to begin April 1, 2004 may result in another general but significant increase in the numbers of shelterless in Vancouver, probably visible mid- 2004.

CONCLUSION

As most city residents will attest, real, absolute homelessness exists in Vancouver. The number of shelterless people is growing, and represents a problem which governments, neighbourhoods, and the shelterless themselves, 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 is 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.

- - - - -

 

NUMBER OF SHELTER BEDS

 

Vancouver

GVRD

 

Permanent

Cold/Wet

Total

Permanent

Cold/Wet

Total

1999

309

90

399

416

140

556

2000

447

112

559

528

154

682

2003

588

160

748

723

267

990

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ag20040224.htm

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© 2002 City of Vancouver