A report commissioned by the Vancouver Police Department investigating the cost of the city’s “social safety net” was released Wednesday, alleging a lack of transparency and accountability in the response to the Downtown Eastside crisis.
The report, a summary of which was first detailed by Global News on Monday, has proven to be highly controversial.
“More than $5 billion a year is directed to Vancouver’s social safety net,” Police Chief Const. Adam Palmer said.
“This is a conservative underestimate of the total amount spent, which is comparable o the entire operating budget of the National Hockey League.”
Palmer said around $1 million is being spent every day in the Downtown Eastside for community and social issues.
The report, which cost $142,000 to produce, was done in conjunction with HelpSeeker, an Alberta-based tech company which describes itself as a startup “focused on accelerating the digital transformation of the social safety net to maximize its equitable outcomes.”
There have been questions about the $5 billion figure, considering HelpSeeker included around $2 billion of direct federal transfers that go to all residents of Vancouver. This includes child tax benefits, Old Age Security, Employment Insurance and Canada Pension Plan.
The organization also used the budgets of non-profits and charities providing services to the entire province, and not just those delivering service to the Downtown Eastside.
“We very much question the assumptions made to generate the figure,” a statement from Attorney General’s ministry reads.
“We all recognize the challenges people are facing and opportunities to strengthen and coordinate how services are delivered, and that’s best accomplished by working together and having informed discussions with partners.”
In the report, named Vancouver’s Social Safety Net: Rebuilding the Broken, police said they outlined a path forward that they believe will begin to solve some of the issues in the troubled neighbourhood:
- Establishment of a steering committee, made up of community partners and various levels of government to guide the next steps and implement meaningful change.
- Creation of a single centralized entity to oversee and coordinate services.
- The identification and development of proven, effective and evidence-based community partnerships.
- The establishment of a consultative process with community partners to align and evaluate service delivery with key performance indicators and effective outcomes.
Palmer said the report also outlines many existing issues with the current model of support, as he said many organizations are operating alone with no overarching committee to oversee and coordinate services.
“Despite all the money being spent, our research has found a lack of transparency, lack of coordination between agencies and a lack of accountability from various levels of government to make sure the money is spent on the people who need it the most,” said Palmer.
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“We see silos and a piecemeal approach to a system-wide issue.
The provincial government is probably the one who needs to be in charge, he added.
“I think there is a really good opportunity with the new mayor and new premier, and I think there is a lot of opportunity to sit down and work together better.”
Report figures questioned
The figures in the report have drawn intense scrutiny, with critics pointing out that about 40 per cent of the $5 billion figure — $2 billion in spending — is related to direct federal transfers that go to all Vancouverites.
Other spending included in the $5 billion total is for charities like the Vancouver Children’s Hospital Foundation, Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth noted.
“I think this report is misleading, and that’s unfortunate,” he said.
“Sort of implying that all of that goes in to the Downtown Eastside. It’s simply inaccurate. And it’s unfortunate the authors of the report didn’t bother to talk with the province to get more accurate numbers and information.”
Palmer rejected suggestions that the global $5 billion figure was misleading at Wednesday’s media event.
“We are not misleading the public. We are actually telling the public the truth,” Palmer said.
“The big picture to remember from this is the lack of coordination and piecemeal approach we have taken to deal with social services in this city.”
Vancouver police said the report is not finished but has been released early due to the draft having been “leaked to the media.”
Mayor Ken Sim also raised questions about the report.
“I don’t think it’s very useful. We had a hard time sourcing the numbers . After we went through the report, it prompted more questions than answers,” said Sim, who was elected last month on a tough-on-crime platform that included a promise of 100 more police officers.
Janice Abbott, CEO of Atira Women’s Resource Society — one of the service providers named in the report — said the document had undercounted the number of units it operates by a factor of three.
She told 980 CKNW’s The Jill Bennett Show there was an “element of accuracy” to ongoing problems in the Downtown Eastside, but she doesn’t understand how the VPD has chosen to make its case.
“I think anybody with eyes can sort of stick their neck up and look around and see we have problems that aren’t being solved currently, but this is just a curious way to address it,” Abbott said.
“Unless we change some of the things that drive the current situation in the Downtown Eastside, like prohibition, like poverty, like a lack of adequate safe, affordable housing no oversight group is going to have a significant impact on anything.”
Not all response to the report was critical, however.
BC Liberal House Leader Todd Stone said the report highlights the very real questions about whether the significant funding poured into the neighbourhood is getting results.
“Whether it’s $100 million per week being spent or $50 million a week, whatever that number is, it’s a huge amount of money that is being poured into social services in Vancouver — and what we look at is a backdrop of worsening results. We look at the overdose crisis — nearly six people a day are dying,” he told 980 CKNW’s The Mike Smyth Show.
“We look at homelessness, which is getting more and more prevalent every day, and the social disorder that British Columbians are increasingly on the receiving end of — so whatever amount of money (it) is, it’s clearly reflective of a system that is not actually working.”
Stone said the province may need to audit the services in the area with an eye to transparency and accountability, with the focus being on measurable outcomes.
Vancouver is not the first city for which HelpSeeker has conducted a social impact audit.
Last year, the Edmonton Police Service, at the direction of that city’s council, hired the company to produce a similar report, which described about $7.5 billion going into social support every year.
— with files from Global News’ Rumina Daya and the Canadian Press
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