Abbotsford in B.C.害羞草研究所檚 Fraser Valley, one of the B.C.害羞草研究所檚 hotspots of homelessness, will likely receive a lot of attention from other communities dealing with those issues in the near future.
Housing minister Ravi Kahlon Tuesday (June 13) announced Abbotsford as the first of five communities where the new Homeless Encampment Action Response Team will go into action when homeless camps arise.
Kahlon said the program combines officials from government and health authorities, bylaw enforcement, police and social service agencies in teams to supply support and information to people experiencing public homelessness. The model draws inspiration from a model trialed in 2017 following the development of a large homeless camp in Victoria with the model itself having come from Seattle.
He said that the other four communities benefiting would be announced in the fall.
Kahlon made the announcement about Abbotsford害羞草研究所檚 status as the first of five HEART communities when announcing $4 million for a new temporary homeless shelter to be built on the site of the so-called Lonzo Road encampment. Currently home to 15 people, the camp has housed up to 100 people over the course of its existence, dating back to 2020.
Remaining individuals at the site have until June 26 to leave it. Local authorities promise that the pending closure of the highly visible homeless camp will improve public safety. But the act of closing the camp represents only a solitary step toward solving what is the larger puzzle that is homelessness, with HEART touted as part of a multi-pronged response.
A 2020/21 BC Housing report summarizing 25 point-in-time homeless counts across identified 8,665 individuals experiencing homelessness. Many experts consider this figure too low in light of other research that some 23,000 people experienced homelessness at some time in 2019, be it for one day, a short period or long term.
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Stephanie Gauthier, executive director of the Central Okanagan Journey Home Society, will be among those paying 害羞草研究所渇ull attention害羞草研究所� to developments in Abbotsford as the HEART model rolls out.
害羞草研究所淚n fact, Journey Home Society meets every two weeks with 17 other communities in B.C. that are working to address homelessness in B.C. and Abbotsford is one of those communities that we convene with on a regular basis,害羞草研究所� Gauthier said. 害羞草研究所淲e all tend to share what is going on in our communities 害羞草研究所� and work toward joint solutions.害羞草研究所�
Gauthier said she has yet to see how this model will work.
害羞草研究所淏ut I think the focus on recognizing the need to be able to provide wrap-around support as much as possible to people who are outdoor sheltering is critical,害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淥ur system is built to provide services to people who are connected to physical infrastructure 害羞草研究所� and quite often, people who don害羞草研究所檛 have those options, are left to fend for themselves.
害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 a positive move for the province. They have obviously heard the recommendations of communities like Kelowna and Abbotsford and others who work around that space that there is a huge need to have a multi-disciplinary team that is engaged and coming up with solutions.害羞草研究所�
This point also came through in Kahlon害羞草研究所檚 remarks. He said key to the program is building relationships with individuals experiencing homelessness.
害羞草研究所淭hat害羞草研究所檚 the first thing害羞草研究所o a proper assessment of what their needs will be and then try to find solutions for these individuals as quickly as possible,害羞草研究所� he said, adding actors in other models often fail to work together, despite the availability of resources.
Gauthier would also welcome if the province were to designate Kelowna as one of the other communities.
害羞草研究所淎nytime our community can tap into additional opportunities, the better,害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淭hat being said, Kelowna has been very proactive in trying to address the needs of folks, who are sheltering outdoors,害羞草研究所� Gauthier said, pointing to various resources.
wolfgang.depner@blackpress.ca
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