| Fewer people on street during recent cold snap |
Dec. 21, 2009
Could efforts to house Victoria's homeless be paying off?
The number of people using shelter beds during the recent cold snap was down from last year and some outreach workers report finding fewer people in need when they conduct their patrols.
"I go out with the Red Cross teams and we walk the streets to let the people know the shelters are available. As we've been doing that we're finding far less people," says Jen Book, co-ordinator of the Greater Victoria Extreme Weather Protocol. "Where we used to find 40 to 60 people in an evening, we're now maybe finding 10."
An average of 240 to 250 people a night took advantage of the shelter beds during the first two weeks of December when the extreme weather protocol, which makes available extra shelter beds, was in effect, Book said.
That compares to about 300 to 320 during last December's snowstorms.
Book says there could be any number of reasons for the decline, ranging from the type of weather conditions to people moving on -- if only to neighbouring municipalities.
"Some people do make different arrangements. They have friends and they stay on their couches and stuff like that during extreme weather," she said.
Book said when the weather is cold but dry, fewer people tend to use shelters than when it's wet. "The precipitation is inescapable. It just gets into everything. You can't find a dry spot to sit down. Your gear gets wet.
"So I suspect that's also part of the reason that we're seeing less numbers this year because we haven't had a lot of cold with precipitation."
Victoria Mayor Dean Fortin is cautiously optimistic that efforts to house the homeless have played a role, however.
"It's both a cause to celebrate and a reason to redouble our efforts," said Fortin, co-chairman of the Greater Victoria Coalition To End Homelessness. "It seems like the evidence is saying we are making a difference."
The coalition estimates about 400 people have been housed with appropriate supports over the last year to 18 months.
Working with five key community organizations -- Our Place, Pacifica Housing, Cool Aid, the Salvation Army and Victoria Native Friendship Centre -- the coalition recently launched a pilot program called Streets to Homes that aims to find housing for 120 people over the next two years.
Through Streets to Homes, landlords are offered rent and damage guarantees and are provided a contact to deal with if they have a problem with a tenant.
Book says she knows first-hand that progress is being made.
"I can tell you right off the top of my head there were about 20 or 30 people that last year were coming in every night to the EWP shelters that are not around this year. It's not because they're gone. They're actually housed," she said.
bcleverley@tc.canwest.com
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