Open drug use, panhandling, trespassing and street homelessness is down in Vancouver due to emergency shelters that opened this winter, according to new statistics from the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association.
The new data shows that in December, open area drug use dropped by 88 per cent, from 33 to four recorded incidents, compared to the year before.
Panhandling was reduced by 34 per cent, from 467 incidents to 309, trespassing cases dropped by 21 per cent, from 207 incidents to 163.
The statistics also showed 49 per cent fewer people were sleeping on the streets in the downtown core, from 276 people to 163.
Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson said the change is due to two Emergency Winter Response homeless shelters that opened in December.
“The Emergency Winter Response shelters provide a safe place to sleep, warm meals, and access to crucial services for those who have nowhere else to go,” says Mayor Gregor Robertson.
“These results make it clear that the two shelters on Seymour and Richards (streets) are in areas that need them, and demonstrate why we need more housing to meet our crucial goal of ending street homelessness in Vancouver by 2015.”
The four new shelters provide beds for 160 people, and have remained at full capacity since opening in December.
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The shelters have had to turn hundreds of people away, something Robertson says shows the urgent need for more provincial investment in new supportive housing.
“The shelters provide a much-needed service, particularly in the downtown core where many of our homeless citizens live. Our data shows a clear connection between the shelters opening and a drop in incidents of panhandling and drug use, among other issues,” said Charles Gauthier, executive director of the DVBIA.
Robertson said the shelters help address the root cause of homelessness with important services that help take people off the streets for good.
“When people are desperate for food or a place to sleep, panhandling and petty crime skyrocket. These results show that neighbourhood concerns such as open drug use and panhandling can be significantly reduced when homeless individuals have access to low-barrier shelters with food,” said Robertson.
“Permanent supportive housing is the ultimate solution but until there’s an adequate supply we need more low-barrier shelter space.”
But not everyone was so supportive of the shelters at first. Residents of Yaletown were worried the shelters would bring increased drug use and crime to their neighbourhood.
Several Yaletown residents complained in December the city didn’t consult them before building the shelters.
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