The provincial budget tabled last Monday emphasized the need for immediate spending and action on homelessness in the province. That’s a good thing for Greater Victoria. We’ve recently made slight gains in combatting homelessness, but much remains to be done.
On Tuesday, the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness released Phase 2 of a community plan to create a region without homelessness. This plan will guide investment and spending in the region that will ensure that all the new funding dollars will house and support those needing help the most.
Last year, the coalition focused its efforts on two critical goals: housing 50 people experiencing chronic homelessness and kicking off the first round of funding in the $60-million Regional Housing First Program.
The outcome of these community efforts has seen 111 people housed on an ongoing basis. Additionally, a net increase of 113 housing units, of which 50 are being dedicated to those experiencing chronic homelessness, are being created through the Regional Housing First Program, supported by the provincial government, Capital Regional District and Island Health. This is in addition to the housing units created by B.C. Housing in response to last year’s encampment on the courthouse lawn.
Even with these positive results, the need remains acute for additional services and housing resources for individuals experiencing homelessness in the Greater Victoria area. The overdose crisis continues to wreak havoc across the region, rents continue to increase and the vacancy rate remains stubbornly low.
At the same time, the community is experiencing a disproportionate growth in the number of youth at risk and Indigenous people accessing emergency-shelter services. The 2016 point-in-time count revealed that almost 50 per cent of those surveyed had their first experience of homelessness before their 25th birthday, with many youth continuing to live on the street. We need to support individuals and families before they become homeless, particularly in more rural communities and on the Gulf Islands. There are more than 12,000 renter households in the capital region spending more than 50 per cent of their gross income on rent.
Phase 2 of the community plan addresses these issues. It guides the coalition and partner service providers toward focused action and also aims efforts at three key populations — Priority 1 individuals with acute continuing homelessness, Indigenous peoples, and youth ages 13 to 25.
The community plan is not just about how we spend the remaining $51 million in the RHFP to get the best value and the most units. It also calls for a series of system improvements designed to make it easier for people to access housing and to enhance the ability of service providers and the coalition to report on the number of individuals experiencing chronic homelessness, housed and accessing health and/or social-support services.
This fall, the second annual RHFP expression of interest will be released and projects funded to create an additional 88 housing units specifically designed for individuals experiencing chronic homelessness or those who are now desire to move into more independent affordable housing units, freeing up space for the homeless. Additionally, the coalition, along with our stakeholders, will be identifying new housing for transitional housing for chronically disconnected youth, Indigenous housing with appropriate culturally based support services, and housing for Priority 1 individuals.
As an organization working to reduce chronic homelessness through the provision of safe, affordable, appropriate and long-term housing, we congratulate the many organizations that provide key services and create concrete housing solutions for homeless individuals in the Greater Victoria area. We know that it’s only by working together as we have been that we can create a sustainable, affordable and inclusive region that has room in it, and a home in it, for everyone.
Lisa Helps is mayor of Victoria and co-chair of the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness. Ian Batey is co-chair of the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness and member of the Policy and Government Relations Committee of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce.
