[mobglob-discuss] Homelessness Workshop: Summary of Issues and Actions

[ClaudioE.]

SUMMARY OF ISSUES AND ACTIONS FROM THE WORKSHOP ON HOMELESSNESS HELD AT CARNEGIE CENTRE, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2003 (THE INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE ERADICATION OF POVERTY)

On Friday, October 17, 2003, an all day workshop was held at the Carnegie Centre to talk about homelessness. The workshop was moderated by Linda Korbin, Executive Director, BC Association of Social Workers. Approximately 100 persons attended, leaving standing room only at one point. The event was also covered by a range of media. The most important speakers were the homeless themselves. Special thanks to Joanne of the Strathcona Park tent city and Laurie of the Creekside Park tent city. Other guest speakers included:

Gwen Brodsky
Libby Davies
Shelagh Day
Jenny Kwan
Jim Leyden
Linda Mix
Jean Swanson
Ellen Woodsworth

Also in attendance were Parks Board Chair Heather Deal and Commissioner Loretta Woodcock as well as City Councillors Anne Roberts, Tim Stevenson and Ellen Woodsworth. Councillor Woodsworth kicked off the day by reading Mayor Larry Campbell's proclamation that October 17, 2003 was the "International Day for the Eradication of Poverty" in Vancouver. The workshop was sponsored by a broad coalition of social agencies, church groups, unions and individuals.

ISSUES RAISED

1) Options are needed to get people out of the rain and cold. The need for a "cold weather" strategy

2) Human rights - the right of people to basic social assistance and decent, affordable housing

3) The failure of the federal and provincial governments to accept responsibility for maintaining people's rights to income support and housing

4) Poor bashing by the federal and provincial governments

5) United Nations findings about the inadequacy of Canadian governmental support for housing

6) BC's two year welfare limit and the very real fear that this will lead to a further 8,000 persons being kicked off income assistance and result in huge vacancy rates in Single Room Accommodation (SRA) hotels in Vancouver

7) A suggestion that there be a "Municipal Housing Corporation"

8) Safety for low income persons who lack adequate shelter - the need for places where they are safe and their belongings are safe

9) Vancouver City Police should respect the belongings of homeless persons and not put the belongings in garbage bins or haul the belongings to the dump

10) A positive thing is the "community spirit", the spirit of helping each other that exists at the tent cities and in the Downtown Eastside

11) Problems for refugees in Vancouver: language/cultural barriers; lack of work permits; long waits to collect welfare

12) A higher minimum wage is needed - $8. per hour is not enough for people to afford decent housing. Minimum wage should be $12. per hour

13) Don't "hot button" mental illness, talk about "illness" in general and don't single out persons with mental illness as being a particular problem

14) The negative media coverage of people who are homelessness and poor

15) "We has to stop the assolt" [sic - written by a workshop participant on one of the sheets of paper posted on the walls at the workshop]

16) "We going to stop To get going The property to the people, peopol" [sic - written by a workshop participant on one of the sheets of paper posted on the walls at the workshop]

17) "Help the people at tent city NOW." [written by a workshop participant on one of the sheets of paper posted on the walls at the workshop]

18) The following was submitted to the workshop by Shawna Taylor:

"I think the local and federal government needs to stop attacking the poor.

"I think the first thing that is needed is more housing, even if it means more permanent shelters. The second thing is not to cut people off of welfare: give options, GED, trades etc. I also think forcing parents to go and look for work or go to school in order to get childcare subsidies is not fair. I think that instead of cutting back on the poor people there should be incentives to get them to be more productive in society. The more people that are getting cut off of Welfare or being forced out of their homes is going to create more desperation and devastation to themselves and the community at large.

"There is a majority of people that are addicted in Vancouver: people in general look at an addicted person with disgust and loathing. I remind you that addiction in all forms is a disease that needs to be treated as such and that by giving such a person no means to support themselves and putting them on the streets is going to be more of a burden on society than what it is now.  The crime rate is going to go up and you are going to see more people on the street and in public park[s], more property crimes as well as crimes against people. I hope that Larry Campbell and everyone else is prepared for the consequences because it is not going to be a pretty sight as six to eight thousand people get cut [off] welfare. 

"Out with the two-year limit and in with support and Help."

Shawna Taylor

SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS AND ACTIONS REGARDING HOMELESSNESS (PLEASE NOTE: THE SUGGESTIONS FROM THE AUDIENCE ARE GIVEN HERE AS THEY WERE STATED WITHOUT EDITORIAL COMMENT AS TO THEIR VIABILITY OR LEGALITY)

(NOTE: THESE ITEMS WERE RATED IN TERMS OF PRIORITY: IMMEDIATE, MIDTERM AND LONG-TERM BY THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE WORKSHOP)

1) Shut down the roads (e.g.: Hastings or Main Streets) as a protest (midterm)

2) Individuals should clog up the courts by applying for indigent status in court (long-term)

3) Individuals should write to City Hall to complain about the lack of portable toilet facilities and the cutting of electric power to the gazebo at Creekside Park (immediate)

4) Complaints about the situation in Vancouver and other Canadian cities should be registered with the United Nations (immediate)

5) There should be a constitutional challenge regarding the provincial government's "two year" income assistance rule (immediate)

6) The city government in Vancouver should have demanded more concessions (relating to housing and income support) from the provincial government in relation to the 2010 Olympics (long-term)

7) A "Municipal Housing Corporation" should be established in Vancouver (long-term)

8) Central access by the homeless to supplies such as dry towels, socks, rain gear, hand sanitizers (wipes), umbrellas, plastic tarps, etc. (immediate)

9) Flu shots for those in the tent cities (immediate)

10) Better media coverage (midterm and long-term)

11) "Special" awards to the politicians who have the worst record on help for the homeless (immediate)

12) Publication/circulation of results from today's workshop (immediate)

13) Better control of problems at the Single Room Accommodation (SRA) units at the Stanley and other hotels/residences in the Downtown Eastside (midterm)

14) More help from the city and province in locating housing in Vancouver (immediate)

15) An inquiry into the actions of the Vancouver Police Department (e.g.: allegations of violence towards or abuse of the homeless/poor) (midterm)

16) A coalition strategy for funds that are "earmarked" to help the homeless (long-term)

17) Strategies that are, above all, practical (immediate)

18) More community gardens (midterm)

19) Allow people to squat in vacant buildings (immediate)

20) Homeless should go back to Woodward's (immediate)

21) Adopt the "One Percent Solution" for housing (this is a national campaign urging all governments to increase spending on social housing by one percent of their total budgets) (long-term)

22) Stop 4 am bar closings (because of excessive noise at night for residents of the Downtown Eastside) (immediate)

23) More assistance for persons with the disability of mental illness (long-term)

24) Support Marie Gomez Place building (102-590 Alexander) in Downtown Eastside (immediate)

25) URGENCY -  we need action now (immediate)

26) Trauma counselling/healing centres in Downtown Eastside ((midterm and long-term)

27) More control over operations of film companies working in the Downtown Eastside (because of disruption caused by their operations in the neighbourhood) (midterm)

28) Conversion centres (immediate)

29) Better park benches and bus stop benches (long-term)

30) Want a "peer run" safe injection site in the Downtown Eastside (long-term)

31) Challenge the Ministry of Human Resources (MHR) disability designation (immediate)

32) Better medicine/treatment for psychiatric patients (midterm and long-term)

33) Open up churches and community centres to the homeless (immediate)

34) Public workshops (midterm)

35) Public petitions (immediate)

36) Public call for supplies (for the homeless) (immediate)

37) Homeless assistance group (midterm)

38) Homeless People's Association (midterm)

39) Start documenting hardship (immediate)

40) Cell phones for tent cities (in case of emergencies) (immediate)

41) Short-Term Strategies Steering Committee (met the evening of October 17, 2003) (immediate)

42) Long-Term Strategies Steering Committee (will meet Monday, October 20, 2003 at 5:30 pm at the Carnegie Centre) (immediate) 

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