Stories from Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside

10 things You should know about Homelessness in Vancouver

1. The total number of homeless people has been increasing by 19% since 2005, and a count in 2008 revealed 1375 homeless persons solely in Vancouver.
2. Homelessness has a broad meaning. A dictionary definition defines homeless people as those individuals that do not have a home. For this purpose even those individuals living at friends house could be considered as homeless.
3. The most common reasons for being homeless has to do with having inadequate income, nonaffordble housing, mental illnesses and drug abuse, lack of life skills and employment, lack of access to social health and support services, and more.
4. It is estimated that 80% of those who are homeless suffer from a mental illness and/or addiction.
5. Homeless people need a place to call home, as well as money to buy the basic necessities of life such as nutrition, health care, hygiene products, footware, and resource information, just to name a few.
6. The current social services offered to homeless people include drug and alcohol treatment, mental health services, and counseling and assistance with daily living.  
7. Welfare payments and other government income assistance help some people pay for housing costs, but the maximum housing allowance available to a single person on welfare is $375/month.
8. Shelters are temporary solutions for homeless people to stay off the streets. They are usually mats on a floor or bunks in a ward or very small rooms in a congregate setting. Those who stay in shelters can only stay there for less than 30 days.
9. A 2001 study by the Province indicated that the public costs for providing services and shelter for one homeless person are up to $40,000 annually compared with up to $28,000 for someone who has housing
10. Homelessness is an issue affecting all members of the society. It is an issue affecting not only the homeless individuals, but also the community members, businesses, tourists, and economic prospects of a city.

Report

Homeless Count  (2005 Bulletin Report )

A 2005 report findings of Greater Vancouver Homeless count, was conducted in order to estimate the number of homeless population, establish an insight into their demographics, and to compare 2005 count with 2002 to estimate the changes within this subgroup.

The definition of homeless people used for this report defined homeless persons as:

people without a place of their own to stay for more than 30 days if rent was not paid, including people without physical shelter, staying on the streets, in doorways, in parkades, in parks and beaches, as well as temporarily sheltered in emergency shelters, safe houses for youth or transition houses for women and their children fleeing violence. Even those who stayed at a friend’s place were homeless for the purpose of this count if they had no security of tenure and did not pay rent.

The Method used for the report measured homeless in the region at a point in time – one 24 hour period from 12 am to 12 pm on Marc h 15, 2005.

The limitation of this method is that the count only tells of number of homeless in a 24 hour period, which is smaller than the number of different people experiencing homelessness over a longer period such as a year.

The count measured the number of homeless population in shelter houses as well as street homeless population.

Below are the highlights, results, and implications of the results with suggestions for future planning and reasearch.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• There has been significant growth in the number of homeless counted region-wide, almost doubling from 1,121 persons in 2002 to 2,174 persons in 2005.
• More homeless people were found on the street on March 15 than in shelters and the number of street homeless has grown by 238% or almost 800 persons since the last count in 2002.
• People with Aboriginal identity were significantly over-represented among the region’s homeless compared to their share of the total population (30% compared to 2%).
• There were proportionally more women among the Aboriginal homeless population (35%) than the non-Aboriginal homeless population (27%).
• The number and share of Aboriginal people was highest among the street homeless (357 people or 34% of the total street homeless) and smallest among the sheltered homeless (158 people or 23% of the total sheltered homeless).
• Forty families with children were enumerated on homeless count day. Most stayed in a shelter or transition house, although some families were among the street homeless.
• Over 600 people or one-third of the homeless population have been homeless for over one year, and are considered the long-term homeless. This characteristic was even more pronounced among the street homeless where 47% were homeless for one year or more.
• Shelters, safe houses and transition houses turned away 169 adults and 6 children on count night.

On March 15, 2005 there were 2,174 homeless people counted region-wide. Over half of the individuals were enumerated at day-time locations, meaning they slept rough or sofa surfed on the night of March 15th.

RESULTS:

• This was higher than the 111 turnaways reported in 2002.
• Less than half of the homeless population (45%) had a steady income source such as income assistance, pension or disability benefits. The remainder survived with no income; income from binning or bottle collecting, panhandling, part-time and casual employment; or illegal activities. The sheltered homeless were more likely to receive income assistance than the street homeless.
• Health conditions were very common among the homeless, with 74% of those counted having one or more health conditions (i.e., addiction, medical condition, mental illness, and/or physical disability). The street homeless were worse off in terms of health conditions than the sheltered homeless and the street homeless were more likely to report more than one health concern.
• Addiction was the most common health condition. Almost half of the homeless who responded to this question reported problems with addiction. The share of street homeless reporting addiction (53%) was higher than the share of the sheltered homeless (43%).
• There was a slight increase in the actual number of youth that were homeless from 272 in 2002 to 296 in 2005, although the youth share of the total homeless declined from 28% in 2002 to 15% in 2005. There was an actual decline in the number of homeless youth under 19 years old since the last count, from 124 in 2002 to 76 in 2005.
• Homeless youth under 25 had the highest rate of addiction (56%) when compared to all homeless persons (49%) or any other sub-group.
• The number of homeless seniors 55 and over enumerated on count day grew significantly from 51 persons in 2002 to 171 persons in 2005.
• 84% of the homeless were found in the Vancouver and South of Fraser (primarily Surrey and the Langleys) sub-regions. The location of their last permanent home reported by the homeless was more evenly distributed around the region.

IMPLICATIONS

In reflecting on the study, the team of consultants identified implications for possible next steps, including future research and issues to consider in planning for future services to address homelessness in the Greater Vancouver Region.

Planning

1. The results clearly show that alternative approaches need to be developed to address the issue of homelessness among people with addictions. Other research demonstrates a variety of approaches that could be considered (see Homelessness, Housing, and Harm Reduction: Stable Housing for Homeless People with Substance Use Issues – CMHC forthcoming).
2. The results show that a significant number of homeless people did not access income assistance either because they are not eligible or perceive they are not eligible. Having access to income assistance may be a critical step in stemming the tide of an increasing number of homeless people in the Greater Vancouver region.
3. Interviewees commented that the cost of housing contributed to their homelessness. In addition to eligibility for income assistance, additional options to consider include increasing the shelter component of income assistance so that the rates are more consistent with the actual cost of rents at the lower end of the available market, and increasing the supply of rent-geared-to-income housing.
4. The over representation of Aboriginal people among the homeless is not reflected in the existing distribution of Aboriginal-run homeless services and emergency accommodations. Consideration should be given to increasing the capacity of Aboriginal organizations to address this issue. This could include increasing the amount of funding provided to Aboriginal organizations.
5. While there has been an improvement in the number of services and facilities for homeless people that are available in most of the sub-regions and municipalities, there is still a preponderance of services in Vancouver. The findings show that the overwhelming majority of homeless people had their last permanent home in the various municipalities throughout the Greater Vancouver region and services and facilities should be delivered in these areas.
6. The apparent “aging” of the homeless population could have important implications for homeless service provision, including housing and shelters, and for costs to the health care system.

Future Research

• The presence of families with children among the homeless, especially those on the street and in shelters (not transition houses), is especially alarming. While this is a relatively small group among the homeless, the consultants believe that this population warrants further study to ascertain the reasons why some families with children are homeless.
• A great deal of information was obtained from both this study and from the forthcoming study on the Hidden Homeless (see Hidden Homelessness: Lessons from Experience). The data from these studies provides ample material to better understand the incidence and causes of homelessness in the Greater Vancouver region.
• The Homeless Count should be repeated every 2-3 years to continue to track changes and trends.
• The count does not accurately reflect the number of homeless people who ‘sofa surf. There is a need to find alternate approaches to counting sofa surfers, which do not put renters who reveal the presence of sofa surfers at risk of losing their tenancy.

The complete Report of the 2005 Homeless Count can be found at: <http://www.gvrd.bc.ca/homelessness/>
For additional information contact:
Regional Homelessness Unit, GVRD (604) 451-6065.

REPORT PREPARED BY:
Social Planning and Research Council of BC
Vancouver, BC
www.sparc.bc.ca

Continuous Increase of Homelessness in Metro Vancouver (2008 Stats)

April 8, 2008

Preliminary numbers from the 2008 Homeless Count, conducted by the Regional Steering Committee on Homelessness, indicate that homelessness continues to be an issue throughout the region. All sub-regions in Metro Vancouver found more homeless individuals in comparison to 2005 Count results. A 24-hour snapshot count conducted on March 11th, 2008 indicates that 2,592 individuals were found to be homeless in the Metro Vancouver region. This number is an increase of 427 individuals over the 2005 count data, or an increase of 19% over the number of homeless individuals found in 2005, and a jump of 131% since 2002. “Some may be surprised that the numbers of homeless we found increased by only 19% over 2005, because they see so many more homeless people on the streets. However, if you just look at the homeless counted on the street and at service (street/service) locations, the numbers increase by 37%. This may be why homelessness is more visible than three years ago” said Robyn Newton, Homeless Count project manager with SPARC BC. Geographic area coverage by volunteers for the 2008 Homeless Count was improved over previous counts, allowing for a more reliable count of homeless individuals in the region. Homeless counts, however, are by their very nature an undercount. The assistance of local homelessness planning tables, numerous service organizations, local outreach workers, RCMP, by-law officers and others has led to a substantial increase in our knowledge of where homeless individuals may be located or gather. “We were able to get much more accurate numbers in the suburbs, where previously there had been denial that the problem existed outside the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver” said Alice Sundberg, Co-chair of the Regional Steering Committee on Homelessness. The data from the 2008 Homeless Count provides updated information on the homeless population in communities throughout our region. A full analysis of the data is being completed by the Social Planning and Research Council of BC (SPARC BC) and is anticipated to be released in September of this year. Preliminary numbers and the full data analysis provide all three levels of government, service providers and the public the information needed to move forward in addressing the issue of homelessness. The RSCH is made up of community based organizations and all levels of government working to address homelessness in the Metro Vancouver region. After eight years of sustained collaboration, the RSCH has demonstrated that all three levels of government can work side by side with community groups to achieve results. The Regional Steering Committee on Homelessness (RSCH) in their Regional Homelessness Plan, Three Ways to Home outlines the three solutions to homelessness; affordable housing, adequate income and support services as needed. Data tables for the preliminary results of the 2008 Homeless Count can be found at www.metrovancouver.org. Funding for the 2008 Homeless Count has been provided by the Government of Canada through the Homelessness Partnership Initiative funding, United Way of the Lower Mainland, and Vancouver Foundation.

Sent by Metro Vancouver on behalf of the Regional Steering Committee on Homelessness: Housing, Support, Income Greater Vancouver Regional Steering Committee on Homelessness

For information: Judy Robertson Corporate Relations 604-432-6205

SUMMARY AND MY RESPONSE

This article reinstates the worrisome number of growth among the homeless population which has increased by 19% since 2005, and 131% since 2002. The city is working hard to solve homelessness and presents three solutions: 1) Affordable housing, 2) adequate income, 3) support services. All these solutions can be implemented as long as there is appropriate funding from the government and social services to end homelessness.

Facts about Homelessness in Vancouver

By Allan Krueger at 8:52 am

“All over the states and to a lesser degree in Canada, homeless advocacy groups and agencies are reporting the most visible rise in homelessness on our city streets, parks and pretty much anywhere you can pitch a tent (for those lucky enough to have a tent). The city of Santa Barbara has even given over a parking lot to people who sleep in cars and vans.

Rising prices, falling markets and U.S. banks forcing people out of their homes aren’t helping the situation. Throw in an occasional hurricane and there are thousands of people no longer living where they used to call home.

Yet, there seems to be thousands of homes sitting empty. How strange? Thousands need a home and thousands of homes are empty….wait…..it’s coming…. Eureka!

Now before you send Don Cherry to run me out of the country, admit it. It does sound a little goofy doesn’t it?  Like going to the doctor and saying “It hurts when I do this…ouch!” to which the doctor replies “Then don’t do that!”

This past spring, the 2008 Homeless count found the number of homeless between Burnaby and Maple Ridge has doubled since 2005, finding 2,660 homeless people in Metro Vancouver. No doubt the numbers are actually higher, but of those identified as homeless, more than half (1,372) remain in the city of Vancouver.  Surrey had the next highest total at (402). Other cities numbers were: New Westminster (123), North Vancouver (116), the Tri-cities (91), Burnaby (84), Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows (85) Richmond (56).

The top reasons for living on the streets: lack of income (25%), cost of housing (19%), addictions (17%) family problems (10%).

These numbers included 100 fully employed people. The average age of a homeless person is 41 and 94 of the homeless were children. Half of the homeless have been on the streets for a year or more.  58%stayed outside at night. Welfare recipients can receive the standard shelter allowance of $325 a month – a rate that hasn’t changed in 12 years.

Vancouver’s new mayor Gregor Robertson stated “My first order of business is to call an emergency task force on homelessness and to focus on how we get people off the street as quickly as possible in to temporary housing or shelter.”

Let’s hope he can keep his word.”

SUMMARY AND MY RESPONSE

In the downturn of the economy, the number of homeless people are seemingly growing at staggering rates. Vancouver’s homeless population, having the highest number of homeless people among its neighboring cities, seems to be getting worst before 2010. As well, having 94 homeless children living on the streets, and 100 fully employed workers, there is definitely a need for a plan to stop the already high numbers from growing. Perhaps an increase in the $325 allowance that was set since 1997 is an option?
It seems like the new Mayor of Vancouver, Greg Robertson, has plans to get these people off the street as quickly as possible. But I wonder what will be the long term consequences of dealing with the issue this way?!