VIGIL TO CITY HALL REMEMBERING THOSE WHO HAVE DIED HOMELESS
A funeral procession to remember those people who have died on the streets of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. People from the Ad-hoc Committee to End Homelessness spoke to the Mayor and City Council to ask for more beds during the winter months. While the City of Victoria is ahead of the pack for municipalities in BC in terms of their Emergency Weather Protocol, there are still people dying of exposure on the streets. The emergency measure increases the number of beds available in Victoria from 200 by 40 to 100 depending on the weather. In reality the new 'beds' are actually only floor spaces (referred to as beds by government) which are added to existing shelters which are already 'full', these floor spaces are concrete with 1/8 inch linoleum or hardwood with no mattress or bedding. Is it any wonder that the homeless are not flocking to these 'shelters' even if they have been notified when the doors will be open, a recurring problem that has lead to a great deal of confusion. Daytime drop-in shelters like 'Our Place' are not set up for sleeping and should not be held accountable by City Hall to provide sleeping shelter for the homeless. In fact, government is constantly referring to 'Downtown Service Providers' when in fact these organizations are NOT-FOR-PROFIT and should not be held accountable for the mis-givings of governments at every level. Tax payers, particularly during the holiday winter season, want to see governments working to help the poor, the homeless, and the down trodden. Government needs to stop placing the onis upon those support groups that are already doing everything they can to help. The time is now to act with substantial resources to save the lives of homeless people, yes people. It is all too apparent that homelessness can happen to anyone. The City of Victoria is hampered by the fact that its population is only 75,000 while the CAPTIAL REGION is closer to 300,000 and Federal funding is based on numbers. The surround municipalities claim they have no problem with homelessness yet they benifit from all their close proximity to the city. The fact that a survey conducted in 2004 counted over 750 homeless people on the streets of Victoria, and Mayor Alan Lowe estimates that this number may have double since that time, makes 1% of the residents of Victoria homeless. That is a disgrace and needs to be changed now! Canada is renowned as one of the best places in the world to live with one of the highest standards of living.
Beds are needed in Victoria a Funeral Procession brings the message to Mayor and City Council.
