Victoria council is taking a second stab at figuring out how two programs for those without homes can tackle the problem of people camping in public spaces in Victoria.
Homeless Encampment Action Response Team — HEART — is a multi-agency effort to address the needs of people living outdoors and help them move inside.
Homeless Encampment Action Response Temporary Housing — HEARTH — is a partnership between ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ Housing and cities like Victoria that aims to develop emergency housing and shelter options.
Council wants staff to work with the province on a plan explaining how the two programs will be implemented to find homes for people living in parks and on sidewalks, so sheltering no longer happens in public spaces where it’s not allowed.
The hope is to have a plan by Oct. 1 that will outline key actions, clear goals and timelines to make it happen by the end of 2025.
Coun. Krista Loughton, who initiated the motion, said enforcement alone won’t solve street disorder and unsheltered homelessness.
Loughton said she had hoped a report that came to council Thursday would include details of actions already underway to meet the needs of those without homes, along with solid numbers on housing needs, but that information wasn’t included.
“The plan I’m requesting today needs to bring all the pieces together. Council, staff and the public all need to know what’s happening,” she said.
“I’m imagining this as a high-level overview on the city’s website with clear objectives and timelines that we can share with residents.”
Coun. Jeremy Caradonna said it’s time to look at what can be achieved in the next 18 months.
“What are our objectives? I think the public is dying to know,” he said. “What is our plan for Pandora? Or what is HEART and HEARTH’s plan? What is the plan for the parks? Is it our objective to end all unsheltered homelessness? If so, how do we do that? If not, what’s the goal – 80 per cent reduction, 50 per cent reduction?”
Caradonna said the city should not close any more parks to sheltering until there’s a plan to house everyone.
Council has already banned overnight sheltering in Stadacona, Topaz, Hollywood, Regatta Point, Beacon Hill Park, Central Park and this spring voted to work with other agencies to find indoor shelter for those camping out in Irving Park and Vic West Park, with the aim of closing them to sheltering. A ban on sheltering at the two parks came into effect Aug. 1.
That has drawn the attention of the Pivot Legal Society and the ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ Civil Liberties Association, which this week warned the city it has left itself open to legal action.
“By prohibiting sheltering not only during daytime hours but also overnight in almost all public spaces, the city replicates circumstances that have given rise to previous Charter litigation,” the organizations wrote in a letter to council. “The amendments as drafted are unlikely to withstand constitutional scrutiny.”
The organizations said the ban on overnight sheltering will cause significant harm to Victoria’s most marginalized community, and was done without meaningful engagement with that group.
A ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ Court of Appeal ruling in 2009 found that in the absence of available shelter beds, it’s unconstitutional to prohibit someone from erecting temporary shelter in a park.
A city bylaw allows people experiencing homelessness to shelter overnight in designated parks only from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., but neighbourhood residents have complained the bylaw is not being enforced and campers are keeping their gear around all day.
With a ban on sheltering in Irving and Vic West parks, there are now only three parks with washroom facilities that allow overnight sheltering — Pemberton Park, Gonzales Park and Oaklands Park.
The HEART and HEARTH programs are part of the province’s Belonging in ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ homelessness plan, which expects to add 3,900 new supportive-housing units and 240 complex-care spaces throughout the province.
The HEART program involves the province, local governments, Indigenous representatives, health-care agencies and non-profit organizations.
