The City of Vancouver is putting the brakes on illegally-parked RVs.
Dozens of RVs, trailers and vans are parked near East 12th and Slocan Street. Many who live in the vehicles say they have nowhere else to go.
One resident who did not want to be identified told Global News he has been here for a year and a half after travelling around in a camper for about three years. He said he had a pretty good life until his wife died of pancreatic cancer, and he couldn’t afford to stay where he was.
He’s had some major struggles, burned through his savings, and ended up living in a vehicle as a means to get by on the $350 a month he gets from his pension.
“Here on the street, it cost the taxpayer very little to look after me,” he said. “I don’t ask for any money from welfare. I don’t ask for any money from the government. I get my pension and that’s my money. It’s not enough to afford a place to live, but it’s enough that I can take care of myself.”
For many people calling these structures home, this is the last option they have before sleeping on the street. Many of the vehicles are not insured and some are not running.
They’ll be facing eviction on May 26.
“Though the City does not ticket people for living in their vehicles, overnight parking for large vehicles (RVs) is not permitted on any City street,” Taryn Scollard, the city’s deputy general manager of engineering, said in a statement.
The city said it has been monitoring the hot spots to address complaints about debris, noise, and human waste. The vehicles near Slocan and 12th are of particular concern, the city says, because a school is nearby.
Unlike other parking violations, enforcement of illegally parked RVs starts with warning notices and educating vehicle occupants about parking bylaws.
Outreach workers are working to connect people living in their vehicles to housing, income or other supports, according to the City.
“Those individuals who do not engage and where all options have been exhausted, Parking Enforcement staff will be ticketing and towing as necessary,” Scollard said.
The City is offering free towing to those who can find a legal place to park. Those who can’t find a location can have their vehicles stored at a city impound yard for up to 30 days.
A rally is in the works for May 26 at 4 p.m.
“We’re all people and we’re all different people,” the resident told Global News. “But when people come by and they look at us, they look at us the same way.
“They look at us like everyone… is a drug addict and some kind of loser from society, and we deserve to suffer. I don’t think we’re all like that. I think very few of us are like that. I think it’s not a good way to treat people.”
— With files from Andrea Macpherson
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