Homeless Task Force

By The Rev. Canon Dr. Harold Munn, Rector, St. John the Divine Anglican Church, Victoria, BC

There are at least 1300 homeless people in Victoria, each of whom uses about $50,000 worth of services (police, hospital, social serves and the like) per year - totalling about $60 million per year, and the number of homeless people is increasing by about 400 per year.

Major reasons for the rapid increase in homelessness in recent years are the closing of mental health institutions which used to house 5,000 people, many of whom are now on the streets, the withdrawal of federal housing funds for the past 15 years, freedom by provinces to use their transfer funds for non-social support purposes for the past 10 years, and the removal of 105,000 people in B.C. from social assistance in the past 5 years.

A very large number of homeless people are homeless because they suffer from mental health issues of various kinds, are addicted, or both at the same time.

The report contains a detailed plan of action, based on actual successful experiences in other cities, to provide basic housing for homeless people regardless of their level of problems, with professional support workers "wrapped around" the housing; to establish specialized teams of social workers and doctors which are in action 24 hours a day and who go out to the "hot spots" (such as St. John's), locating the homeless people and providing housing and services without waiting for those people to turn up at the right office and go through a complex application process which is often beyond their mental and organizational ability; coordination of the 200 programs that currently serve homeless people in Victoria so that their work will be more effective, and the establishment of a "one-stop" service centre where people with multiple problems can receive treatment whatever their problem. At present, the process of applying for different kinds of treatment at different locations in the city, making appointments weeks or months ahead, is virtually impossible for homeless people.

The estimated costs of this more successful way of working with homeless people are between $17,000 and $47,000 (for the most severely ill) per person per year.

Homelessness has not been solved quickly anywhere in the world, but immediate steps will respond to the most seriously ill people, and over a 10 year period there will be a very significant reduction in the number of people without homes.

It has been a great privilege for me to have a small part in the work of such competent people from all levels of government and medical and social service agencies.

I hope that various congregations will be active in encouraging political leaders at the highest levels to support this plan and to provide the funding and committed leadership for the changes which will make Victoria a more humane city for everyone.