www.vancouversun.com/news/have+follow+through+housing+city+homeless/1360014/story.html
Mayor Gregor Robertson explains how homelessness is one of the toughest challenges Vancouver faces and that with the Olympics arriving to our city, this moral disgrace may also hinder the reputation of the city itself. Within the past 2 months funding between the city, province and “Streettohome Foundation” has allowed the city staff and Homelessness Emergency Action Team (HEAT) to open 5 new HEAT shelters. They provide a warm and safe place to sleep for up to 500 homeless people a night. Since these shelters have opened they have been at full capacity and are making a huge difference within the city. There are reports that aggressive panhandling is at near-zero levels in the evenings, people who did not want to go to shelters are now coming inside and are getting access to health and social services and both mental health and street disorder calls have dropped. Gregor explains that while much progress has been made, the funding for these new shelters ends March 31st. The city has created a long term solution in ending homelessness by creating 14 new social housing buildings that will open in 2011, but in the meantime more funding is needed to keep the HEAT shelters open, giving the “hardest-to-house” a place to sleep while they wait. Gregor makes it clear that before next winter 500 units of temporary housing units are essential in allowing the transition out of shelters into more stable housing.
