This is the fifth in a series of excerpts from the report on homelessness in BC, "Finding Our Way Home" prepared by David Chudnovsky, Opposition Critic for Homelessness in the Legislature. The complete report can be read at http://www.bcndpcaucus.ca/files/HomelessReport-low.pdf
The Campbell Liberal Government has focused much of its effort regarding homelessness on a series of strategies which, while in some cases laudable, do little to reduce the numbers of people without a place to live.
The Ministry, through BC Housing, has expanded the number of “outreach workers” whose responsibility is to make contact with homeless people (often at street level), connect them with various programs and services, attempt to find housing, and sometimes to provide minimal ongoing support. These workers are enormously committed and do excellent work. But even the best and most committed outreach worker cannot house someone if a home is not available.
A second element of the Campbell government’s strategy is the purchase of low-rent hotels (SROs), mostly in Vancouver but also in a couple of other centres.
This too is a good idea, as it protects some small part of the existing stock of low-rent units. But this strategy does absolutely nothing to deal with the 10,000 – 15,000 people who are currently homeless because it simply protects what already exists. People live in those SROs already. Protecting an existing stock is helpful, but it doesn’t help solve the crisis of homelessness in the province.
A third part of the government’s strategy is increasing emergency shelter beds and expanding the hours during which they are open. People use emergency shelters as temporary places to stay when they have nowhere else to live.
Creating emergency shelter beds is necessary. We face a homelessness emergency. But are shelter beds homes? No. Is this a strategy for solving homelessness? Absolutely not.
An additional problem is that the government inappropriately includes emergency shelter beds in their count of housing units they have built since 2001.
Another part of the Campbell government strategy on homelessness is to increase the number of rent subsidies. Rent subsidies are a useful tool in dealing with homelessness problems in some circumstances as long as there is a stock of vacant rental units available. But in the context of a hot real estate market, where there is a 0.1 percent or 0.5 percent or a 1 percent vacancy rate, rent supplements are simply a gift to landlords. The province provides the rent subsidies, and the landlords, because of the high demand, raise the rents.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
Why We Should End Homelessness
This is the fourth in a series of excerpts from the report on homelessness in BC, "Finding Our Way Home" prepared by David Chudnovsky, Opposition Critic for Homelessness in the Legislature. The complete report can be read at http://www.bcndpcaucus.ca/files/HomelessReport-low.pdf
It might seem unnecessary to ask why it is important to deal with the crisis of homelessness in BC. However, significant government commitment and resources are required, and governing is always about making choices. Therefore, the rationales for action are important.
The most important reason to solve the crisis is that it is the right thing to do. People in our province deserve a place to live and we have the resources to make that possible. British Columbians are caring and decent people and believe that everyone is entitled to a home.
Second, homelessness is both a disruption to the lives of those who have nowhere to live and to the stability of our communities. Most British Columbians are ashamed and embarrassed that we face such a crisis. They are rightly uncomfortable when they see people sleeping on the streets or lining up for emergency shelters.
But solutions are not without controversy. Mark Twain wrote, “Everybody is in favour of progress. It’s change they don’t like.” While public opinion increasingly demands solutions to the homelessness crisis, the shrill voices of those who want the solution anywhere but in their own backyards are heard every time a new project is announced.
The leaders of our community, and in particular governmental leaders at the federal, provincial and municipal levels must be proactive in reminding everyone that solutions involve change – and in supporting that change even if it has short-term political consequences. The alternative is the status quo – the warehousing of the poor and marginalized in out-of-the-way neighbourhoods. That strategy is not only inequitable, experience shows it is also unsuccessful.
Finally, providing homes and support for those who are homeless is significantly cheaper than continuing to do what we have been doing. We expend enormous resources on ambulance service, emergency ward treatment, acute care beds, police officers, court trials and hearings, prisons, emergency shelters and much more, when housing and supports are more appropriate and more cost effective measures.
The Vancouver Police Department report ‘Lost in Transition’, describes both the crisis in the provision of street level mental health services and treatment, and just some of the increased costs that result.
“A conservative economic analysis suggests that police time spent dealing with incidents where a person’s mental illness was a contributing factor in police attendance is equivalent to 90 full-time police officers, at an annual cost of $9 million. This would not include indirect policing costs, or the costs to other agencies such as the ambulance service, hospitals, or the court system … The key finding of this research is that there is a profound lack of capacity in mental health resources in Vancouver. The result is an alarmingly high number of calls for police service to incidents that involve mentally ill people in crisis. VPD officers, along with the citizens with whom they come in contact, are bearing the burden of a mental health system that lacks resources and efficient information sharing practices, often with tragic consequences. In an effort to address the current situation, several recommendations are made that centre on the need to better serve people who are mentally ill in Vancouver” (Vancouver Police Department, ‘Lost in Transition’)
The Simon Fraser University Report, ‘Housing and Support for Adults with Severe Addictions and/or Mental Illness in British Columbia’, concludes that $18,000 per year can be saved per person with provi¬sion of adequate housing and supports.
“… the average street homeless adult with SAMI in BC costs the public system in excess of $55,000 per year. Provision of adequate housing and supports is estimated to reduce this cost to $37,000 per year. This results in an overall ‘cost avoidance’ of about $211 million per year. The ‘cost avoidance’ in health care and provincial corrections institution costs are more than sufficient to offset the capital costs and the costs of providing housing supports to those who are absolutely homeless.”
(Housing and Support for Adults with Severe Addictions and/or Mental Illness in British Columbia)
Tim Richter, President & CEO of the Calgary Homeless Foundation makes an even more dramatic calculation. He reports that in Calgary at least $323 million was spent in 2007 which equals $134,000 per chronically homeless person per year.
Using the more conservative Simon Fraser calculation (a savings of $18,000 per year per homeless person) and their relatively conservative number of 11,500 homeless people, British Columbia could save more than $1 billion over five years by housing the homeless.
It might seem unnecessary to ask why it is important to deal with the crisis of homelessness in BC. However, significant government commitment and resources are required, and governing is always about making choices. Therefore, the rationales for action are important.
The most important reason to solve the crisis is that it is the right thing to do. People in our province deserve a place to live and we have the resources to make that possible. British Columbians are caring and decent people and believe that everyone is entitled to a home.
Second, homelessness is both a disruption to the lives of those who have nowhere to live and to the stability of our communities. Most British Columbians are ashamed and embarrassed that we face such a crisis. They are rightly uncomfortable when they see people sleeping on the streets or lining up for emergency shelters.
But solutions are not without controversy. Mark Twain wrote, “Everybody is in favour of progress. It’s change they don’t like.” While public opinion increasingly demands solutions to the homelessness crisis, the shrill voices of those who want the solution anywhere but in their own backyards are heard every time a new project is announced.
The leaders of our community, and in particular governmental leaders at the federal, provincial and municipal levels must be proactive in reminding everyone that solutions involve change – and in supporting that change even if it has short-term political consequences. The alternative is the status quo – the warehousing of the poor and marginalized in out-of-the-way neighbourhoods. That strategy is not only inequitable, experience shows it is also unsuccessful.
Finally, providing homes and support for those who are homeless is significantly cheaper than continuing to do what we have been doing. We expend enormous resources on ambulance service, emergency ward treatment, acute care beds, police officers, court trials and hearings, prisons, emergency shelters and much more, when housing and supports are more appropriate and more cost effective measures.
The Vancouver Police Department report ‘Lost in Transition’, describes both the crisis in the provision of street level mental health services and treatment, and just some of the increased costs that result.
“A conservative economic analysis suggests that police time spent dealing with incidents where a person’s mental illness was a contributing factor in police attendance is equivalent to 90 full-time police officers, at an annual cost of $9 million. This would not include indirect policing costs, or the costs to other agencies such as the ambulance service, hospitals, or the court system … The key finding of this research is that there is a profound lack of capacity in mental health resources in Vancouver. The result is an alarmingly high number of calls for police service to incidents that involve mentally ill people in crisis. VPD officers, along with the citizens with whom they come in contact, are bearing the burden of a mental health system that lacks resources and efficient information sharing practices, often with tragic consequences. In an effort to address the current situation, several recommendations are made that centre on the need to better serve people who are mentally ill in Vancouver” (Vancouver Police Department, ‘Lost in Transition’)
The Simon Fraser University Report, ‘Housing and Support for Adults with Severe Addictions and/or Mental Illness in British Columbia’, concludes that $18,000 per year can be saved per person with provi¬sion of adequate housing and supports.
“… the average street homeless adult with SAMI in BC costs the public system in excess of $55,000 per year. Provision of adequate housing and supports is estimated to reduce this cost to $37,000 per year. This results in an overall ‘cost avoidance’ of about $211 million per year. The ‘cost avoidance’ in health care and provincial corrections institution costs are more than sufficient to offset the capital costs and the costs of providing housing supports to those who are absolutely homeless.”
(Housing and Support for Adults with Severe Addictions and/or Mental Illness in British Columbia)
Tim Richter, President & CEO of the Calgary Homeless Foundation makes an even more dramatic calculation. He reports that in Calgary at least $323 million was spent in 2007 which equals $134,000 per chronically homeless person per year.
Using the more conservative Simon Fraser calculation (a savings of $18,000 per year per homeless person) and their relatively conservative number of 11,500 homeless people, British Columbia could save more than $1 billion over five years by housing the homeless.
Friday, July 25, 2008
The Homelessness Crisis In BC - Why Now?
This is the third in a series of excerpts from the report on homelessness in BC, "Finding Our Way Home" prepared by David Chudnovsky, Opposition Critic for Homelessness in the Legislature. The complete report can be read at http://www.bcndpcaucus.ca/files/HomelessReport-low.pdf
There are many reasons why homelessness has reached the staggering level it has in British Columbia. The federal government must take its share of the blame. In 1994 the federal housing program was cancelled. It provided tens of thousands of high quality social housing and co-op housing units.
By 2001, British Columbia was one of only two provinces in the country with a provincial social housing program. But the Gordon Campbell Liberal government cancelled that program in 2002. If it had simply continued, there would be at least 4,000 additional low-rent units of housing in British Columbia.
Income is an important variable in providing the possibility for affordable housing. But it’s clear that incomes have lagged dramatically behind the cost of housing. 250,000 employed British Columbians make $10 an hour or less. It’s virtually impossible at such a wage level to find adequate and affordable housing.
The administration at Kelowna’s Mission Gospel emergency shelter reported that 30% of people who use the shelter get up in the morning and go to work. This has been confirmed in other emergency shelters, soup kitchens and food banks across the province.
Those on income assistance have an even bigger challenge in finding affordable housing. The $375 per month shelter allowance for single people is totally inadequate. It forces people to supplement their rents with money that should be going to food, clothing, transportation and other purposes. The Campbell Liberals created barriers (such as the 3 week wait, 2 year independence test, etc.) which make it much harder to get on income assistance and stay on income assistance.
A recent report of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives which followed welfare recipients in BC since 2004 found that 100% of those studied who were forced to leave welfare became homeless.
The de-institutionalization of people with mental health problems has also contributed to homelessness. Without adequate community-based mental health services many people become vulnerable to homelessness, and to many other challenges – drugs and drug addiction, physical and sexual abuse, intimidation etc.
The recent report of the Vancouver Police Department calls attention to the woeful lack of health services for this population and subsequently the inappropriate and wasteful use of police services to deal with health issues.
Another extremely significant factor which has led to the current crisis of homelessness is the cruel irony that with the dramatic rise in the value of real property there has been a dramatic increase in homelessness. When the cost of buying homes at the top of the market increases, the demand, and therefore the price of housing in the cheapest part of the market increases too.
This is the case, it is worth noting, not just in the Lower Mainland but in communities across the province. So while some British Columbians have become wealthy because the value of their homes have appreciated, many of their neighbours have become homeless as part of the same phenomenon.
The lesson here is that the market alone will not and cannot resolve the current crisis of homelessness in the province.
Also adding pressure to the stock of affordable housing, is the drive to re-develop manufactured home parks, especially in smaller centres across the province. Decades ago, when many of these parks were established, they were often at the outskirts of towns and cities. With the passage of time and the expansion of municipalities, they are now closer to the centre and the land on which they sit has increased in value. As many of these parks are closed and developed they contribute to the problem. A great number of the manufactured homes cannot be moved and their owners are at grave risk of becoming homeless.
Because of the critical shortage of low-cost rental accommodation, landlords are in a position to pick and choose tenants. One phenomenon which has been reported is landlords not only doing credit checks on potential tenants, but criminal record checks as well. Obviously, someone who has been homeless for any length of time has little hope of getting past these obstacles.
“10,500 people are homeless in British Columbia. That’s the population of Williams Lake. If tomorrow the people of Williams Lake had a catastrophe, if there was a flood or a fire and every one of them lost their homes, we as a people, as British Columbians who are caring and decent people, would get together and find homes for those people. We’d build homes for those people. We’d solve their problem. And we’d do it quickly. Today in British Columbia that’s the crisis we have. More people than the population of Williams Lake are homeless today in British Columbia. It’s time for government to take it seriously, to roll up their sleeves and to find a solution for those people.”
- David Chudnovsky
There are many reasons why homelessness has reached the staggering level it has in British Columbia. The federal government must take its share of the blame. In 1994 the federal housing program was cancelled. It provided tens of thousands of high quality social housing and co-op housing units.
By 2001, British Columbia was one of only two provinces in the country with a provincial social housing program. But the Gordon Campbell Liberal government cancelled that program in 2002. If it had simply continued, there would be at least 4,000 additional low-rent units of housing in British Columbia.
Income is an important variable in providing the possibility for affordable housing. But it’s clear that incomes have lagged dramatically behind the cost of housing. 250,000 employed British Columbians make $10 an hour or less. It’s virtually impossible at such a wage level to find adequate and affordable housing.
The administration at Kelowna’s Mission Gospel emergency shelter reported that 30% of people who use the shelter get up in the morning and go to work. This has been confirmed in other emergency shelters, soup kitchens and food banks across the province.
Those on income assistance have an even bigger challenge in finding affordable housing. The $375 per month shelter allowance for single people is totally inadequate. It forces people to supplement their rents with money that should be going to food, clothing, transportation and other purposes. The Campbell Liberals created barriers (such as the 3 week wait, 2 year independence test, etc.) which make it much harder to get on income assistance and stay on income assistance.
A recent report of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives which followed welfare recipients in BC since 2004 found that 100% of those studied who were forced to leave welfare became homeless.
The de-institutionalization of people with mental health problems has also contributed to homelessness. Without adequate community-based mental health services many people become vulnerable to homelessness, and to many other challenges – drugs and drug addiction, physical and sexual abuse, intimidation etc.
The recent report of the Vancouver Police Department calls attention to the woeful lack of health services for this population and subsequently the inappropriate and wasteful use of police services to deal with health issues.
Another extremely significant factor which has led to the current crisis of homelessness is the cruel irony that with the dramatic rise in the value of real property there has been a dramatic increase in homelessness. When the cost of buying homes at the top of the market increases, the demand, and therefore the price of housing in the cheapest part of the market increases too.
This is the case, it is worth noting, not just in the Lower Mainland but in communities across the province. So while some British Columbians have become wealthy because the value of their homes have appreciated, many of their neighbours have become homeless as part of the same phenomenon.
The lesson here is that the market alone will not and cannot resolve the current crisis of homelessness in the province.
Also adding pressure to the stock of affordable housing, is the drive to re-develop manufactured home parks, especially in smaller centres across the province. Decades ago, when many of these parks were established, they were often at the outskirts of towns and cities. With the passage of time and the expansion of municipalities, they are now closer to the centre and the land on which they sit has increased in value. As many of these parks are closed and developed they contribute to the problem. A great number of the manufactured homes cannot be moved and their owners are at grave risk of becoming homeless.
Because of the critical shortage of low-cost rental accommodation, landlords are in a position to pick and choose tenants. One phenomenon which has been reported is landlords not only doing credit checks on potential tenants, but criminal record checks as well. Obviously, someone who has been homeless for any length of time has little hope of getting past these obstacles.
“10,500 people are homeless in British Columbia. That’s the population of Williams Lake. If tomorrow the people of Williams Lake had a catastrophe, if there was a flood or a fire and every one of them lost their homes, we as a people, as British Columbians who are caring and decent people, would get together and find homes for those people. We’d build homes for those people. We’d solve their problem. And we’d do it quickly. Today in British Columbia that’s the crisis we have. More people than the population of Williams Lake are homeless today in British Columbia. It’s time for government to take it seriously, to roll up their sleeves and to find a solution for those people.”
- David Chudnovsky
Thursday, July 24, 2008
A Strategic Vision to End Homelessness in BC
This is the second in a series of excerpts from the report on homelessness in BC, "Finding Our Way Home" prepared by David Chudnovsky, Opposition Critic for Homelessness in the Legislature. The complete report can be read at http://www.bcndpcaucus.ca/files/HomelessReport-low.pdf
“I think that we as citizens in a society are all responsible for each other. So as long as there’s homelessness, we are responsible to find a solution. And, the government actually represents us, so please start listening to us. We want solutions, and to be part of the solution.” (Loretta, Nelson Mental Health Clubhouse)
In the United States the slogan “Housing First” has gained traction and in many places informs policy. It is a useful concept, as it implies two fundamental principles. First is the notion that having a home is a right. Second, is the idea that housing needs to be provided immediately, independent of the causes of the homelessness or the health of the homeless person.
Even so, “Housing First” is an inadequate response to the crisis of homelessness in BC as it does not provide the resources needed for success. A more comprehensive strategy is necessary:
HOUSING FIRST + THE SUPPORTS NECESSARY FOR SUCCESS
For many homeless people simply providing a home will solve the problem. For thousands of others a home is necessary but not sufficient. The Simon Fraser study indicates that more than 10,000 homeless people in BC have either a mental health or addiction problem or both. It is these British Columbians, whose health care challenges contribute to their homelessness, who need ongoing supports to be successful.
Senator Michael Kirby’s important work on mental health at the federal level is instructive and persuasive. He is adamant that a “sequential” approach does not work. It doesn’t make sense to say to a homeless person, “Get yourself cleaned up, stop your substance abuse and then we will find you someplace to live.”
Similarly, it is a recipe for failure to house homeless people with mental health and addictions issues and not provide the necessary supports for them immediately when they are housed.
It is often said in explanation of the current crisis that mental health and addiction problems are complicated. That is, of course, the case. But so are cancer and pneumonia complicated. Nevertheless, as a community we provide comprehensive and ongoing care for cancer and pneumonia sufferers.
The situation is dramatically different for those dealing with mental health and addictions challenges. The recent Vancouver Police Department report on mental health problems and their impact on policing clearly indicates a lack of treatment and support which has reached crisis proportions. The problem is not complexity. Rather, it is the stigma and discrimination faced by people with these illnesses. Too often moral and subjective judgments about “personal responsibility” get in the way of a commitment to health care for all.
In this context it is instructive to note Mr. Justice Pitfield’s finding in the recent Insite case.
“While there is nothing to be said in favour of the injection of controlled substances that leads to addiction, there is much to be said against denying addicts health care services that will ameliorate the effects of their condition. Society does that for other substances such as alcohol and tobacco... Management of the harm in those cases is accepted as a community responsibility. I cannot see any rational or logical reason why the approach should be different when dealing with the addiction to narcotics….”
Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside is a unique and important part of the story of homelessness in British Columbia. For decades it has been a mostly successful low income community. When social housing and co-op housing were being funded by the federal and provincial governments many buildings were erected which today form part of a close-knit and dynamic neighbourhood.
This reality is being threatened, on the one hand by rampant speculation, renovation and development of extremely expensive condominiums, and on the other hand – and partially as a result of high-end development – by an explosion of homelessness, addiction and mental health problems.
Future development on the downtown eastside must start with the stabilization of existing low cost housing, the building of needed social housing, and a commitment to the existing neighbourhood, its resilience, history, culture and values.
“I think that we as citizens in a society are all responsible for each other. So as long as there’s homelessness, we are responsible to find a solution. And, the government actually represents us, so please start listening to us. We want solutions, and to be part of the solution.” (Loretta, Nelson Mental Health Clubhouse)
In the United States the slogan “Housing First” has gained traction and in many places informs policy. It is a useful concept, as it implies two fundamental principles. First is the notion that having a home is a right. Second, is the idea that housing needs to be provided immediately, independent of the causes of the homelessness or the health of the homeless person.
Even so, “Housing First” is an inadequate response to the crisis of homelessness in BC as it does not provide the resources needed for success. A more comprehensive strategy is necessary:
HOUSING FIRST + THE SUPPORTS NECESSARY FOR SUCCESS
For many homeless people simply providing a home will solve the problem. For thousands of others a home is necessary but not sufficient. The Simon Fraser study indicates that more than 10,000 homeless people in BC have either a mental health or addiction problem or both. It is these British Columbians, whose health care challenges contribute to their homelessness, who need ongoing supports to be successful.
Senator Michael Kirby’s important work on mental health at the federal level is instructive and persuasive. He is adamant that a “sequential” approach does not work. It doesn’t make sense to say to a homeless person, “Get yourself cleaned up, stop your substance abuse and then we will find you someplace to live.”
Similarly, it is a recipe for failure to house homeless people with mental health and addictions issues and not provide the necessary supports for them immediately when they are housed.
It is often said in explanation of the current crisis that mental health and addiction problems are complicated. That is, of course, the case. But so are cancer and pneumonia complicated. Nevertheless, as a community we provide comprehensive and ongoing care for cancer and pneumonia sufferers.
The situation is dramatically different for those dealing with mental health and addictions challenges. The recent Vancouver Police Department report on mental health problems and their impact on policing clearly indicates a lack of treatment and support which has reached crisis proportions. The problem is not complexity. Rather, it is the stigma and discrimination faced by people with these illnesses. Too often moral and subjective judgments about “personal responsibility” get in the way of a commitment to health care for all.
In this context it is instructive to note Mr. Justice Pitfield’s finding in the recent Insite case.
“While there is nothing to be said in favour of the injection of controlled substances that leads to addiction, there is much to be said against denying addicts health care services that will ameliorate the effects of their condition. Society does that for other substances such as alcohol and tobacco... Management of the harm in those cases is accepted as a community responsibility. I cannot see any rational or logical reason why the approach should be different when dealing with the addiction to narcotics….”
Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside is a unique and important part of the story of homelessness in British Columbia. For decades it has been a mostly successful low income community. When social housing and co-op housing were being funded by the federal and provincial governments many buildings were erected which today form part of a close-knit and dynamic neighbourhood.
This reality is being threatened, on the one hand by rampant speculation, renovation and development of extremely expensive condominiums, and on the other hand – and partially as a result of high-end development – by an explosion of homelessness, addiction and mental health problems.
Future development on the downtown eastside must start with the stabilization of existing low cost housing, the building of needed social housing, and a commitment to the existing neighbourhood, its resilience, history, culture and values.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Homelessness Report -- First Installment
Today we begin posting excerpts from David Chudnovsky's Homelessness Report -- completed after a tour of 22 communities across BC and extensive discussions with homeless people, service providers and local government officials. The complete report can be found at http://www.bcndpcaucus.ca/files/HomelessReport-low.pdf
Executive Summary
Not since the great depression almost 80 years ago has British Columbia had a homelessness crisis like the one we face today. Between 10,000 and 15,000 people across our province are homeless.
While many think of homelessness as a Lower Mainland problem, it is clear that the crisis faces virtually every town and city across BC. From Cranbrook to Comox, Hazelton to Kitsilano, Abbotsford to Penticton, Surrey to Smithers, Victoria and Vancouver’s downtown eastside – people are living on the streets, couch surfing, surviving temporarily in emergency shelters and transition housing.
In the 1990s the federal government abandoned its traditional role in funding social housing, along with the provinces. Despite this, the British Columbia New Democrat government was one of only two provinces in Canada to maintain a social housing program. This program was one of the first cut by Gordon Campbell’s Liberals when they came to power. Six short years later homelessness is a provincial emergency that needs immediate action.
There are three fundamental reasons to end homelessness in BC. The most important reason to solve the crisis is that it is the right thing to do. People in our province deserve a place to live and we have the resources to make that possible.
Second, homelessness disrupts both the lives of those who have nowhere to live and the stability of our communities. Most British Columbians are ashamed and embarrassed that we face such a crisis. They are rightly uncomfortable when they see people sleeping on the streets or lining up for emergency shelters.
Third, providing homes and support for those who are homeless is significantly cheaper than continuing to do what we have been doing. The Simon Fraser University Report, ‘Housing and Support for Adults with Severe Addictions and/or Mental Illness in British Columbia, prepared with the active participation of several provincial government ministries (including the Housing Policy Branch under Minister Coleman) concludes that $18,000 per year can be saved per person with provision of adequate housing and supports.
Others have made even more dramatic calculations. Tim Richter, President & CEO of the Calgary Homeless Foundation reports that in Calgary at least $323 million was spent in 2007 which equals $134,000 per chronically homeless person per year.
Using the more conservative Simon Fraser calculation (a savings of $18,000 per year per homeless person) and their relatively conservative number of 11,500 homeless people, British Columbia could save more than $1 billion over five years by housing the homeless.
Executive Summary
Not since the great depression almost 80 years ago has British Columbia had a homelessness crisis like the one we face today. Between 10,000 and 15,000 people across our province are homeless.
While many think of homelessness as a Lower Mainland problem, it is clear that the crisis faces virtually every town and city across BC. From Cranbrook to Comox, Hazelton to Kitsilano, Abbotsford to Penticton, Surrey to Smithers, Victoria and Vancouver’s downtown eastside – people are living on the streets, couch surfing, surviving temporarily in emergency shelters and transition housing.
In the 1990s the federal government abandoned its traditional role in funding social housing, along with the provinces. Despite this, the British Columbia New Democrat government was one of only two provinces in Canada to maintain a social housing program. This program was one of the first cut by Gordon Campbell’s Liberals when they came to power. Six short years later homelessness is a provincial emergency that needs immediate action.
There are three fundamental reasons to end homelessness in BC. The most important reason to solve the crisis is that it is the right thing to do. People in our province deserve a place to live and we have the resources to make that possible.
Second, homelessness disrupts both the lives of those who have nowhere to live and the stability of our communities. Most British Columbians are ashamed and embarrassed that we face such a crisis. They are rightly uncomfortable when they see people sleeping on the streets or lining up for emergency shelters.
Third, providing homes and support for those who are homeless is significantly cheaper than continuing to do what we have been doing. The Simon Fraser University Report, ‘Housing and Support for Adults with Severe Addictions and/or Mental Illness in British Columbia, prepared with the active participation of several provincial government ministries (including the Housing Policy Branch under Minister Coleman) concludes that $18,000 per year can be saved per person with provision of adequate housing and supports.
Others have made even more dramatic calculations. Tim Richter, President & CEO of the Calgary Homeless Foundation reports that in Calgary at least $323 million was spent in 2007 which equals $134,000 per chronically homeless person per year.
Using the more conservative Simon Fraser calculation (a savings of $18,000 per year per homeless person) and their relatively conservative number of 11,500 homeless people, British Columbia could save more than $1 billion over five years by housing the homeless.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Update and Findings: The Way Home
Two important tools for helping to end the homelessness crisis in BC came out of the “Finding Our Way Home” tour.
First is a report on Homelessness written by David Chudnovsky which includes specific recommendations for dealing with the crisis in our province. We will post some excerpts from the report tomorrow. In the meantime you can link to the report in its entirety at http://www.bcndpcaucus.ca/files/HomelessReport-low.pdf.
Second, more than 400 people saw the film “The Way Home” at its world premier in Woodland Park in Vancouver on June 20. Producers Kevin Fitzgerald and Louvens Remy have chronicled the story of homelessness in BC from the point of view of homeless people themselves and the impact of government policy.
David Chudnovsky will be returning to each of the towns and cities visited on the tour starting later this fall to present the movie. We’ll post the dates, times and locations on this blog.
First is a report on Homelessness written by David Chudnovsky which includes specific recommendations for dealing with the crisis in our province. We will post some excerpts from the report tomorrow. In the meantime you can link to the report in its entirety at http://www.bcndpcaucus.ca/files/HomelessReport-low.pdf.
Second, more than 400 people saw the film “The Way Home” at its world premier in Woodland Park in Vancouver on June 20. Producers Kevin Fitzgerald and Louvens Remy have chronicled the story of homelessness in BC from the point of view of homeless people themselves and the impact of government policy.
David Chudnovsky will be returning to each of the towns and cities visited on the tour starting later this fall to present the movie. We’ll post the dates, times and locations on this blog.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
How About a Good News Story for a Change?
When our provincial consultation, "Finding Our Way Home" was in Kelowna in January we met a young man -- we'll call him Phil -- who was doing his best to deal with mental health/addiction issues and homelessness. He was staying at the Willows, a wonderful transition facility with a compassionate and committed staff. Phil was very interested in our work, was interviewed at length by the film makers who were travelling with us and even accompanied us at our meeting with the mayor.
A couple of months later we were in Prince George and bumped into Phil. It was great to see him, even though he didn't look as healthy as he had when we'd first met him. Once again we chatted, and once again he was interviewed for the film.
Then this week we were back in touch with a staff person from the Willows who told us Phil had phoned her after meeting up with us the second time in Prince George. He said that meeting had motivated him to get into detox, that he was now in transition housing and was doing well.
Congratulations to Phil for his strength and perseverance and to all of the wonderful people we met on our travels who face such enormous challenges every day and find a way to survive and flourish.
A couple of months later we were in Prince George and bumped into Phil. It was great to see him, even though he didn't look as healthy as he had when we'd first met him. Once again we chatted, and once again he was interviewed for the film.
Then this week we were back in touch with a staff person from the Willows who told us Phil had phoned her after meeting up with us the second time in Prince George. He said that meeting had motivated him to get into detox, that he was now in transition housing and was doing well.
Congratulations to Phil for his strength and perseverance and to all of the wonderful people we met on our travels who face such enormous challenges every day and find a way to survive and flourish.
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