When Erik moved indoors last week after months of sheltering outside, he was grateful for simple things many people take for granted: Having access to a shower and laundry. Feeling safe when he goes to sleep. Being treated like a human being.
On his first night in his own room at the Capital CityCenter Hotel, he could feel the tension drain from his body.
“It was like I was carrying a million pounds on my shoulders. My body just kind of let go and… It is hard to explain,” said Erik, who asked that only his first name be used to protect his privacy. “My body knew I was safe and then my body started relaxing. I didn’t realize how tense I actually was.”
He can see the change in those around him who have recently moved indoors, too, including some from the same camp in the parking lot at Royal Athletic Park.
“They’re more than grateful, they’re humbled. The looks on their faces — it’s like they’re two different people now. It’s amazing to see the transformation,” Erik said.
He said he’s grateful for all the work done behind the scenes that led him to a place where he can feel “like a normal person” again. He plans to spend time relaxing before jumping into some building jobs he already has lined up.
Erik is one of more than 100 people who were sheltering in parks and ravines who moved indoors this month, emptying several encampments in Victoria, as the city and province work toward ending around-the-clock camping as of May 1.
Camps in the Royal Athletic Park parking lot, in Cecelia Ravine Park and on Ellice Street are now empty, after residents were offered spots in the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre, Capital CityCenter Hotel and other existing housing options.
About 100 people are still waiting to move indoors and there are enough spaces for them, said Mayor Lisa Helps. New spaces will continue to open up as people stabilize and move into new housing.
“This is what we’ve been working on for years … to be able to see that positive flow that people aren’t just stuck in supportive housing or stuck in a 24-7 shelter. There’s actually somewhere for them to go,” she said.
The provincial government signed an agreement with the city on Monday to publicly commit to the current efforts to house people living in encampments.
The memorandum of understanding lays out the roles and responsibilities of the province and the city as they work to find indoor living spaces for those sheltering in public areas by April 30 and prevent future encampments.
David Eby, the minister responsible for housing, announced this month that the province had secured two new buildings with space for 70 people to move indoors, bringing the total spaces available to more than 200. The buildings need to be retrofitted with cubicles similar to a set-up in the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre, and will be ready by the end of April, one month later than the city originally intended to offer everyone an indoor space.
B.C. Housing recently purchased a building at 865 Catherine St. in Victoria West, but won’t say what the site will be used for. More information will be shared later this week, a spokesperson said Monday.
Victoria council voted last week to reinstate a bylaw that requires people camping in parks to pack up by 7 a.m. Enforcement was paused last year amid the pandemic, which reduced shelter beds.
In Beacon Hill Park, there were 92 shelters, down by 14, as of Saturday, according to the city.
At a community care tent on the edge of the park at Dallas Road and Cook Street, volunteer Asiyah Robinson said she’s meeting new people in need every day. While some of the people sheltering in the park have moved indoors, Robinson said others are arriving from elsewhere on the Island.
“There’s like a new wave of people kind of coming in,” she said.
The tent provides warmth and shelter from rough weather, as well as food, water and other essentials.
A fundraiser started by a group of young advocates has raised more than $11,000 in about two weeks that will go toward meeting individual needs, facilitated by community care tent volunteers.
“The housing crisis isn’t going away and putting the date of May 1 isn’t going to solve the problem,” said Caroline Crossley, a member of the Stand with Meegan group that launched the fundraiser.
“So we just want to help people as much as we can get through this period.”
