NO TENT CITY
Oppenheimer Park tenters get hotel accommodations
Thursday, August 14 - 10:06:25 PM
Jill Drews
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - BC Housing has come up with a way to get campers out of Oppenheimer Park without ticketing them. They're moving the homeless there from tents to hotels.
Vancouver Police Constable Jana McGuinness says BC Housing has arranged for the tenters to stay in two local hotels. She says the offer isn't off the table for new comers.
"As more follow up, they're planning to hand out an information pamphlet that gives contact phone numbers to anyone else that either is thinking of tenting or feels that necessity exists that they'd have to camp outside and these same accommodations and arraignments can be made for others."
McGuinness says the police department, housing advocates and BC Housing had been working behind the scenes on the idea for a while and they're glad they've been able to give the tenters a first step towards a better life.
Well now we know what to do. Tents, tents, tents. 1,500 tents for Vancouver, a thousand more in Victoria.
I think that this was a glorious PR move for the police force. Moving people into SRO's may be a first step, but doesnt solve the problem at all. I think if the police force was concerned about the well being of the residents at tent city, opposed to pushing forward their own band-aid agenda then other steps would have been taken. Steps including treatment (for those with addiction) detox (for those who are ready to start dealing with addiction) some sort of follow up for these people to make sure they are going in the direction that they need to be, and being put on the waiting list for real, safe, affordable housing.
But then again, what do I know.
better to die on your feet then live on your knees
Well and that's the thing.
I don't consider this a victory, though I am glad some people got a roof over their head.
Will this help them kick their addictions, stabilize their mental health? How long are they allowed to stay there? How long until the government tears those buildings down.
I'm one of those people who are always shouting 'housing first' but in the context of it's about more than just housing, it's so much deeper.
Personally I think the collapse of capitalism and imperialism is the only solution, but in the meantime, we could be doing much more within the current context.
These SROs are no more of a solution than shelters.
The police and the City of Vancouver and Gordon Campbell and his cronies are set to be the real winners here if this is the course we're going to take.
This sounds great if the person has only been out on the streets for less then 24hrs. But for those who have been out on the streets for 24months or yiks 24 yrs. this won't work because it has been a proven fact that the longer you are out on the streets the more hard core you become. Thus making it hard for you to find housing that is prepared to deal with the social issues that contribute to your staying out on the streets. The gov has forgotten this part. Warehousing people in old run down hotels is not the answer either for another reason that is freedom of choice. This is just a temporary ploy to get the homeless out of the way for more olympic hype which doesn't include the homeless or even the poor. You know the old saying out of sight out of mind. So what are they going to do with the people who are addicted to sleeping out doors?
womyn united will never be defeated when acting in solidarity
I think this is merely a PR response because Gordon Campbell got a bit of bad press concerning houselessness in BC. In response, we may see more advertising of what the BC government is trying to do, while doing anything.
those who criticize do the least.
where did they find room? in what hotel is my question. with a vacancy rate in the dtes of 0% i am curious how accomodations were found.
really, i could write for days about this, agreeing with the other comments as fraggle puts it, a great pr move and a band aid solution.
safe, affordable housing is needed, detox and treatment for those wishing to access those services and a change in service provision philosophy: provide people with real opportunities instead of imposing forced 'help'.
as far as i am concerned this move was done to set the tone: 'don't sleep in the park' not a true example of how our city provides housing for those who need it.
I would disagree with you on this. Those of of us who are critical of sweeping away the homeless have seen this action to many times only to count. We see more of our family swept away into motels and hotels and then returned back to the streets faster then you can say you moved? I wonder what hotels and who was evicted to make room for new tenants. Some of us who critisize also are doing things like participating in housing coalitions, city hall committees, and neighborhood community centres.We do this to improve the quality of life for everyone because we know that they are mostly ikely just a tired as us and don't want to be kicked around any more.
womyn united will never be defeated when acting in solidarity
I was a little surprised by this turn of events. Since i've had time to ponder ramifications i have misgivings that this may be a form of sensus to record the perpetrators, "as it were". For what reason? Not sure at this time but it may rear its ugly head at a future point in time.
On the other hand, I had occasion to speak to a couple of people from U G M and learned that this was in the works for some time. They didn't indicate any malicious intent. One can only hope that there isn't a hook to be found in this "good will".