A homeless man and a protestor briefly disrupted a news conference announcing housing for people experiencing homelessness in Âé¶čAV on Thursday (Oct. 12).
Mayor Tom Dyas and Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon made the announcement at city hall.
While Kahlon was speaking an agitated man, just a few yards behind the minister, yelled several comments and expletives as bylaw officers blocked his way.
âIâm tired of being pushed around in my hometown, being a homeless guyâ he screamed.
Kahlon stopped speaking for a few seconds.
After several more comments, the man eventually left, while bylaw officers followed.
Another man held up a sign that read âTell JayJean Stop Racistâ and tried to interrupt Khalon several times.
Bylaw officers also kept him away from the minister.
The announcement was that the city and BC Housing will build 120 housing units over the coming months to support people who are unhoused and sheltering in encampments.
âWe believe encampments are not safe for communities and theyâre not safe for the individuals living in them,â Kahlon said.
âÂé¶čAV says âwe want to work with you to get housing available for people before we move in on encampments.â Thatâs the relationship we signed today.â
Kahlon added itâs an example other cities across the province can follow.
âLetâs take care of people and make sure they have somewhere to go and not just displace them.â
The units will be funded through the provincial governmentâs new Homeless Encampment Action Response Temporary Housing (HEARTH) program.
They are intended as a temporary housing solution while the city and BC Housing work to identify new permanent supportive housing.
Âé¶čAV is the first location in the Interior to use a tiny-home solution, which features small single-room units (60 square feet) that are quick to build and easy to install.
âThe need for shelter and housing solutions in our community has never been greater,â Dyas said. âBy the process of making the encampments smaller, weâre making the community safer.
According to bylaw services, there are approximately 150 people living in the encampment along Âé¶čAVâs Rail Trail.
More information on where the units will be located will be revealed in the next two weeks, but the city has identified a handful of locations.
âInitially the first 120 will be on two, but we are speaking of three locations,â Dyas added.
Once built the units will be operated by non-profit groups that will provide support services such as daily meals, 24/7 staffing, access to skills training, and support navigating the housing system.
Individuals moving into these new homes will be assessed and matched with appropriate supports.
Who is eligible to move into the units will be decided by organizations including non-profits, the city, First Nations, health professionals, and others.
âWhere they sit together and identify individuals and identify whatâs the right fit,â Kahlon explained. âThat helps make sure that the people moving in are ready and that itâs a right mix of people in that housing.â
The minister added that it is not just individuals with mental health challenges, or addiction issues who are unhoused.
âItâs not one solution that will solve this. We have people working full-time jobs who are finding themselves homeless.â
Kahlon noted that overall, more housing needs to be built in the province.
âWeâre two decades behind and all types of housing are needed at the same time.â
Tiny homes have also been installed in Victoria and Duncan, and Kahlon said his ministry will be looking to Âé¶čAV as a pilot program.
âThis is a different type of condition. Itâs a little bit colder in the winter, a little bit warmer in the summer, and seeing how it works here will be important for us to see how we roll out.â
The city and the province are also partnering to implement Homeless Encampment Action Response Teams (HEART).
Its purpose is to respond to encampments and support people sheltering outdoors to move inside.
Following the news conference Kahlon spoke with the protestor who held up the sign.
The man told Kahlon that those closest to the problem (homelessness) have the best solutions and accused the government of âpurposely staying away from the problem.â
âIf you believe the answers are in communities I would agree with you,â Kahlon said. âWe do engage with people who build homes, we engage with not-for-profits who are building homes, they are the ones telling solutions to us.â
The man also told Kahlon that he and homeless people are treated badly by authorities in the city.
âThey surround me, they intimidate me, they threaten me. Iâm an active member of the community, Iâm not a homeless person. Iâm just an old man holding a sign and this is the way I get treated in this city.â
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