May 27, 2005

Homeless in Vancouver

"Changing access to welfare would have a significant effect on reducing the homelessness that we see on the streets everyday. It would then be possible for people to have money for rent and move inside."
Homeless Action Plan, City of Vancouver, April 26, 2005, p. 6.

At a Special Council meeting on May 25, 2005, Vancouver City Council adopted recommendations contained in the Homeless Action Plan. Adoption of the plan, with minor modifications, follows a process that took almost two years. It began with a request by Council on August 13, 2003, that a staff member be designated as the city's "homeless policy co-ordinator". The City has done a good job focusing on what can be done about homelessness, but as the city manager said in her report to council: "The majority of the plan implementation, however, is dependent on the level of Senior Government commitment as the underlying causes of homelessness are within the jurisdiction of the Provincial and Federal governments."

There was a problem with homelessness before the Campbell government made it more difficult for people to receive welfare, but the new welfare rules contributed to a doubling of the number of homeless between 2002 and 2005. The Report noted that the City's "Tenant Assistance Program is finding increasing number of street homeless who are not on, or eligible for welfare. Without funds to pay rent, moving inside is impossible. In 2001, about 15% of the street homeless were not on welfare. By early 2004, this had increased to 50%, and by summer 2004, more than 75% of the street homeless reported they are not on welfare." A key recommendation in the report essentially recommends that the Ministry of Human Resources stop giving people the run-around and assure that those in need receive assistance. The Campbell government claims that most of the people who left welfare found jobs. That was true long before the Campbell cuts since most people realize that any job is better than welfare, but it used to be the case that those who needed assistance weren't turned away with no option but to sleep on the street.

The first session of BC's 38th Legislature is likely to be debating the "estimates" for the Ministry of Human Resources a few weeks before municipal elections on Saturday, November 19th. An invigorated Official Opposition, and Vancouver City Council facing an election, are sure to pressure the provincial government over its responsibility for dealing with homelessness. We'll soon see if the Campbell government can demonstrate that it has learned to care.