IMPORTANT: A Streams of Justice Summary

Homelessness Action Week
October 15-21

The Current Homeless Situation in Vancouver:

According to the 2005 GVRD Homeless Count, homelessness in Vancouver doubled between 2002 and 2005. Current estimates put the homeless population in Vancouver at 1500 – 2000, with hundreds more in shelters, transition houses and couch surfing.


The Strategy:

In June 2005, the City of Vancouver produced its Homeless Action Plan, which identified three strategic priorities: the provision of adequate income, housing and support services. These are crucial aspects to any comprehensive approach to ending homelessness and significantly reducing poverty in our region.

• Income: While the Homeless Action Plan focused on reducing the barriers to receiving welfare and creating employment opportunities, it is also essential that welfare rates and the minimum wage be increased substantially.

• Housing: The construction of social housing is absolutely crucial for any strategy to end homelessness, and the Homeless Action Plan called for the construction of 3200 units of supportive housing (800 new units a year for 4 years).
  

• Support: For those in need of support services, increased access to mental health and addiction support is necessary for personal well-being and social participation.
  

Government Resources:


Municipal: Currently, the City of Vancouver has 12 sites designated for social housing, with options on another 7 sites. Few of these are presently being developed for housing.

Provincial: According to a BC Ministry of Finance News Release (July 11, 2007), the provincial government ended the fiscal year with a $4.1 billion surplus, and in the first quarter of 2007-2008, it announced a surplus of $1.6 billion. In its last budget, the Province designated $250 million for low-income housing, but put the money into a housing endowment fund rather than using it to build housing.

Federal: The Federal government recorded a budgetary surplus of $6.4 billion for the first quarter of the 2007-2008 fiscal year ($13 billion for 2006-2007). Through its Homelessness Partnership Initiative, it has allocated $269 million for supportive housing over two years. The GVRD was allocated $12 million from that fund, with $7 million for capital projects and $5 million for service provision.


The Olympic Housing Promises:

In 2002, as part of their submission to the 2010 International Olympic Committee, VANOC and the three levels of government, known as the Four Partners, wrote, signed and submitted an Inner-City Commitment Statement. With that statement, the Four Partners committed themselves to:

• Protect rental housing stock
• Provide a legacy of affordable housing
• Provide visitor and worker accomodation
• Ensure the Games do not increase homelessness
• Ensure no displacement, evictions, or rent-gouging occur as a result of the Games
  

Having won the bid for the 2010 Games, the Four Partners convened a group called the Inner-City Inclusive Housing Table (ICI Housing Table). This group consisted of 28 representatives from non-profit community and housing groups; developers; tenant, landlord and real estate organizations; and the Four Partners. The stated task of the ICI Housing Table was “to develop the goals, action plans, and outcomes that will be carried out by the Partners” (Report of the ICI Housing Table, p. 1).

Based on the five housing commitments, the ICI Housing Report makes 25 recommendations, 23 of which were passed unanimously. The five key recommendations of the report are:

• Build 3200 units of social housing by 2010
• Acquire 800 units of low-income rental housing in Vancouver by 2010
• Convert, after the Games, 200 units in the Vancouver Athletes’ Village to low-income housing
• Raise welfare rates by 50% from the March 2007 levels so recipients can afford rent
• Remove the barriers that block access to welfare, such as the 3-week waiting period.
  

With a little more than 2 years remaining before the Games, most of these recommendations show no signs of implementation. In particular, there are few if any indications that the construction of 3200 units of social housing and the increase in welfare rates and accessibility will be enacted any time soon.


International Commitments:


Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 25:

Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing, and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control. Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.

International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Ratified by Canada in May 1976.

Article 11

(1) The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of everyone to an adequate standard of living for himself and his family, including adequate food, clothing and housing, and to the continuous improvement of living conditions. The States Parties will take appropriate steps to ensure the realization of this right, recognizing to this effect the essential importance of international cooperation based on free consent.


(2) The States Parties to the present Covenant, recognizing the fundamental right of everyone to be free from hunger, shall take, individually and through international co-operation, the measures, including specific programmes, which are needed.

Covention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Aceded to by Canada in October 1970.

Article 5

In compliance with the fundamental obligations laid down in article 2 of this Convention, States Parties undertake to prohibit and to eliminate racial discrimination in all its forms and to guarantee the right of everyone, without distinction as to race, colour, or national or ethnic origin, to equality before the law, notably in the enjoyment of the following rights:

(iii) The right to housing;

(iv) The right to public health, medical care, social security and social services;

(v) The right to education and training;

(vi) The right to equal participation in cultural activities;

Convention of the Rights of the Child. Ratified by Canada in December 1991.

Article 27

1. State parties recognize the right of every child to a standard of living adequate for the child's physical, mental, spiritual, moral and social development.

2. The parent(s) or others responsible for the child have the primary responsibility to secure, within their abilities and financial capacities, the conditions of living necessary for the child's development.

3. States Parties, in accordance with national conditions and within their means, shall take appropriate measures to assist parents and others responsible for the child to implement this right and shall in case of need provide material assistance and support programmes, particularly with regard to nutrition, clothing and housing.


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Research has been done,
Recommendations have been proposed,
Promises and agreements have been made,
Funds and resources are abundant and available,

… but the situation is getting worse!

Where is the political will?
Where is the economic courage?
Where is the civic leadership?
Where is the collective resolve?

…. for justice, compassion and the pursuit of shalom!