Agenda Index City of Vancouver

POLICY REPORT
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

TO:

Vancouver City Council

FROM:

Director of the Housing Centre in consultation with the Director of Community Services, Social Planning

SUBJECT:

Prevention of Homelessness

 

RECOMMENDATION

GENERAL MANAGER’S COMMENTS

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.

BACKGROUND

The City of Toronto has initiated a national effort to focus public and political attention to homelessness by requesting Vancouver and other cites to endorse a resolution and series of actions. The letter from the City of Toronto is in Appendix A.

The FCM Big City Mayors’ Caucus endorsed the resolution and actions at their November 20, 1998 meeting and the FCM National Board of Directors supported the Big City Mayors’ endorsement on December 5, 1998.

DISCUSSION

The objective of the Toronto initiatives is to place housing and homelessness back on the national agenda so that solutions can be achieved. This is consistent with the many previous efforts by the City of Vancouver to encourage the federal government to restore its funding for housing for those most in need. The proposed initiatives provide an opportunity for concerted and coordinated effort to re-engage the federal government.

Homelessness continues to be of concern in Vancouver, although not to the same extent as Toronto, where about 5000 people use shelters each night and an uncounted number sleep on the street. In Vancouver, our 300 shelter beds are nearly always filled and perhaps another 300-600 sleep in the streets, under viaducts and bridges, or in parks. Toronto, and other eastern U.S. and Canadian cities, have found that a large portion of the homeless are families with children. We do not have that situation in large numbers in Vancouver. However, it is important to take action now to avoid the homelessness becoming more of a problem than it is now.

Vancouver has taken the approach that provision of longer-term housing is a priority, rather than extensive construction of temporary shelters. Individuals and communities can find greater stability when longer-term affordable housing is available, rather than just overnight accommodation. We want to avoid the situation where many people stay in shelters because they have no other place to go. In Toronto, 17 percent of those who use the shelters are chronic users and stay for a year or more. These chronic users consume about 46 percent of the shelter resources.

There are about 400 year-round shelter beds in the Lower Mainland, 300 of which are in the City. The B.C. Ministry of Human Resources recently funded an additional 130 temporary spaces in the Lower Mainland for the winter months. These are:

These extra beds have gone a long way to prevent homelessness this winter. A recent survey after midnight in the Downtown Eastside by Housing Centre staff and volunteers found less than fifteen people sleeping in public places. As most people who remain outside at night live outside the Downtown Eastside, we anticipate many more will be found as we search other neighbourhoods.

Although the funding of shelters is primarily the responsibility of the provincial government, the City plays a supportive role. Staff participate on committees of Lower Mainland shelter providers and funders. A separate report will be in front of Council shortly recommending the City continue to provide a grant to assist with the operation of the Marpole Shelter.

A consultant study is underway to examine the need and possible locations for additional permanent shelter beds in the Lower Mainland. (Some of the facilities named above, including the Marpole Shelter are temporary, winter-only shelters). Staff have advised the committee that shelter expansion should be done in a regional context and that the expansion of shelters within the City should occur with the expansion of shelters outside the City.

Traditionally, the City has taken the approach that shelters are “doors” to permanent housing, which implies that there is a need for a continuum of housing forms, ranging from institutional care to supportive housing to independent housing. As proposed by Toronto, additional action and resources from the federal government, in partnership with the provincial governments, could assist in providing for this continuum.

The Toronto letter was sent only to the large municipalities in the Lower Mainland which are members of the Big City Mayors Caucus including Vancouver and Surrey. It is important that municipalities adjacent to Vancouver and throughout British Columbia share in seeking solutions to housing and homelessness. If this initiative gets federal attention, the other municipalities should be contacted, possibly through the GVRD and/or UBCM.

In addition to the resolution, there are six actions proposed in the City of Toronto letter. Three of them involve initial action by City Council. One is the calling for immediate Federal action on this issue, including creating a senior Federal Cabinet committee on housing and homelessness. This would be a positive step, hopefully leading to renewed federal involvement in housing. Another is meeting with appropriate senior Ministers in the Vancouver area. This could be accomplished through the Vancouver City Caucus or other meetings relating to the City’s Downtown Eastside Community Revitalization Program. The final City action is the designation of a senior staff policy person who would have input into a “National Housing Policy Options” Team, which will develop, within 3 months, a document of real options for national circulation. It is proposed that Jill Davidson, Senior Housing Planner, fulfill this assignment.

The other three actions proposed in the Toronto letter relate to FCM:

· meeting with the Federal Cabinet Committee
· establishing a national Homelessness Issue web site
· putting the issue on the agenda of the 62nd Annual Meeting - the specific proposals

All of these would help to focus national attention on homelessness and housing.

In summary, the initiatives by the City of Toronto can be supported as they are consistent with Council’s previous actions and policies. If successful, a national effort to focus public and political attention to homelessness will assist the City in our efforts to deal with the situation.

* * * * *

ag990105.htm

 

General Mgr./Dept. Head:

Date:

This report has been prepared in consultation with the departments listed to the right, and they concur with its contents

Report dated:

December 17, 1998

Author:

J. Davidson

Phone:

7670

Concurring Departments:

Director of Community Services,
Social Planning - J. Brooks (6043)

 
 
 

hc1-7000.wpd

Comments or questions? You can send us email.
[City Homepage] [Get In Touch]

(c) 1998 City of Vancouver