It’s cold at the tent city next to Victoria’s courthouse. Even when the sun is shining, it’s bitterly cold — worse when the wind blasts through. Rain poured down Monday, again.
The people hunkered down in more than 80 tents and tarps would normally be in other locations, such as parks and doorways on sidewalks.
But they have come together at this spot, making the community pay attention and think about society’s responsibility, and lobbying in their own way for something better.
Conditions are rough. Some have only minimal bedding — plastic sheets or cardboard — on the hard, wet ground.
As a friend trimmed his hair with dull scissors, Shane Enns, 28, sat outdoors and said: “I just want to get a place. I want to get my health back up and get working.”
His ideal situation?
“A room, toilet, shower, heat, hot water, electricity.” Enns would be happy with a hot plate.
Social assistance gives him $610 per month, with $375 of that allotted for rent. “You can’t get a room for $375 out here.”
The province of B.C., City of Victoria and Our Place social services organization are planning to open a 40-bed temporary shelter in January for four months, on Yates Street in the former Boys and Girls Club building.
But Enns and some of his fellow campers say that’s not enough. They want permanent housing and more support services.
“They keep doing these damn shelters and it is not really helping,” Enns said angrily. “I’m tired of sitting here and talking about it ... day after day.”
With people coming and going, a count of campers is difficult, but it appears around 100 people are living there, many of them sharing tents.
The first tents showed up in August and numbers have steadily grown since then, especially in the past month. Young adults are there, as are older folks.
It’s an informal situation, as a mix of people look out for each other and their belongings. Even so, personalities can clash. One man complained about a noisy neighbour, saying he was a veteran troubled by memories of past service.
Regular meetings, called circles, are held for campers to discuss how things are going. Rev. Nancy Ford from Christ Church Cathedral across the street said she sometimes attends.
No one person is in charge at the camp — matters are decided by group decision, said a young man. “We are working to show the public that we can get along amongst ourselves.” He said he would like to learn life skills, such as budgeting. It’s difficult to find a job with a criminal record, he said.
There’s a sense of responsibility within the community. When a large black dog began digging a hole in the middle of the lawn, someone quickly yelled out that it was not acceptable and the owner had to take control.
A stooped older man with a bicycle hauled a heavy cart onto the street, brushing off offers of help. One camper arrived without a sleeping bag and was thrilled to be given three.
A group at the corner of Burdett Avenue and Quadra Street, where a small fire burns, is considered especially easy to get along with, said one camper.
A man who asked to be called Pigeon said that after 10 years on downtown streets, “I know just about everybody” at the camp.
He’s sleeping under a tarp rigged to a tree. Two sides are open, but that’s how he prefers it, saying he does not want to feel closed in. “I can sleep anywhere.” Even so, as the wind blew, he tucked one bare hand under the neck of his sweater to help keep warm.
For many campers, it’s a relief to be able to pitch a tent near the courthouse and not have to move it or relocate the next morning, as regularly happens to those sleeping in city parks.
Adam Baker, 40, originally from Nanaimo, usually sleeps in Beacon Hill Park in a “briar patch.” He enters that secret home by crawling in flat and squeezing through “belly trails.” When rain turns the ground muddy, “it sucks.”
Baker said he has never taken any money from the government and survives by collecting aluminum cans for recycling and being a street performer.
It’s a life that takes its toll. Baker said he is in constant pain. “My knees hurt, my back hurts.”
A number of campers have been on the streets since they were teenagers.
More than one talked about unhappy lives growing up. One man, who spoke of the terror of institutionalization, said: “My parents hate me.”
Sitting at the fire, you’ll hear well-articulated ideas about what is needed. It’s clear that one solution will not suit the complex and varied needs of this group.
Christine Brett of Crofton came to the camp on the weekend to light a ceremonial fire and stay for a few days. The planned 40-bed temporary shelter “is not really going to resolve the systemic issues,” she said.
A majority of campers are First Nations or Metis, she said, calling for provincial social agencies and those serving aboriginal people to work together.
While some campers welcome a shelter, others refuse to go. They don’t like the noise, odours and risk of catching bugs such as lice.
The camp is often quiet, but not always. Already, it’s like a city with its own neighbourhoods. Jenna, who had a Siamese-coloured rat snuggled around her neck, said: “It’s like a gong show. Visualize tent city, ghetto, suburbs and the Bronx.” The rat — one of two — slipped inside the front of her black hoodie, popping up later behind her head.
Carolane Parise of Montreal is 20 and travelling around Canada for the adventure. She has been in Victoria for a month, sleeping in shelters, but not at the camp. She drops in to visit.
Camper Audrey Moffatt, 21, was raised in Kelowna and has been in Victoria about two months. She said she came to Victoria after being given a bus ticket by Vancouver police.
She shares a tent with her fiancé and eight-month-old kitten.
“When the wind starts gusting and it starts pouring ice rain, it’s hell ... It is so cold and all you do is shiver.”
Asked if she feels safe, she said: “Sometimes yes. Sometimes no. It depends. Random people show up that don’t camp here ... You hear people argue.”
Moffatt would like to move into an apartment, but said some places will not allow a cat. “My cat is my world.”
The tent city has touched the hearts of local residents. Donations of food and materials come in regularly. Chili, stew, bread, $5 gift certificates for Tim Hortons are among donations.
One couple showed up Sunday to quietly distribute bags neatly packed with socks, underwear and toiletries. They made up 60 for men and 40 for women. “It feels good,” said the man, who did not want his name used. “It’s the right thing to do.”
He said he was an addict and in recovery. “For me, giving back is a big part of it.”
On Saturday, a woman dropped by to call out: “Who wants slippers?” She smiled while tossing brightly coloured hand-knit slippers to those who raised their hands.
A group from Temple Yeshua handed out cheerful holiday gift bags, toiletries and oranges.
“We want to really support the homeless people,” Julie Thiesen said.
They went there “to listen to their wants and needs. We care about people who are going without,” she said.
“It is all about love.”
Cathedral hosts Christmas dinner for campers
An early Christmas dinner is being dished out today at Christ Church Cathedral for residents of the tent city behind the courthouse.
“We are doing it with the camp, rather than for,” Rev. Nancy Ford said Monday.
The cathedral, at 930 Burdett Ave., is across the street from the tent city, where 80-plus tents have been erected by members of the street community. “We see them as our neighbours,” Ford said.
Prepared traditional food, including turkeys, will be delivered to the cathedral, where campers and community volunteers will set out the meal and then sit down together at noon, Ford said. A number of local organizations and church groups have donated food.
“It really is the larger community coming together,” she said.
This meal was an initiative by Rev. Al Tysick, who founded the Dandelion Society to work with Victoria’s street community, Ford said.
Food will be served for 135 people and the event will take place in the Chapel of the New Jerusalem at the cathedral, at 930 Burdett Ave.
Campers are already helping with preparations. One has been making beautiful table decorations out of greenery, Ford said.
