So that’s why we’re in crunch time, here.”. government rolled out an ambitious and unprecedented plan to move close to 700 homeless people out of Oppenheimer and two camps in Victoria into hotels, motels and community centres. Essentially, Stewart wants Horgan to appoint one minister who can sign off on the package of properties the city is negotiating to obtain with the combined $81.5 million. “We hope COVID-19 passes so we can get back to our own lives… but at least there’s a roof over our heads, at least we’re not sleeping outside or in a tent,” Smith said. government and “becomes even more significant as cold weather approaches.”, “The Premier made it clear yesterday that he’s in the process of selecting a cabinet,” the statement said. Mass gatherings and needles everywhere is what’s occurring in midtown instead. Residents in both areas say they were never consulted or informed by the city of the decision to put a shelter in their neighbourhoods. This eco-friendly hotel is 0.3 mi (0.5 km) from Scotiabank Arena and 0.3 mi (0.6 km) from Hockey Hall of Fame. According to the amended lease document, the city will pay $100 per room or $592,243 per month (including HST). "I was told that they weren't putting out prior notice on any of their sites throughout the city during the emergency. ", We are going through a pandemic, along with a housing and opioid crisis. After reviewing the emails I received last week from the park board and the B.C. LEVY: Lease extended for downtown hotel shelter. But we looked at the whole picture right now and decided we really had to close the camp. “I’m annoyed, I pay good money to live here. Additional safety measures and community supports set to be implemented as soon as possible, on the other hand, include physician, nursing, psychiatric supports and harm reduction services; a safety and security plan for when school resumes; and additional full-time housing workers who will provide individualized supports, housing search assistance and refer clients to other supports as needed. B.C. Housing and its community partners are actively assisting with outreach efforts for people who are experiencing homelessness in Vancouver, including at Strathcona Park, and ensuring that people have access to available supports and services as they wait to find a more permanent housing solution.”. In a letter to Mayor John Tory and the city, the property management at 33 University Ave. say in part: “Perhaps it is time to consider a permanent solution for them (shelter residents). For Oppenheimer specifically, 261 people moved into some form of temporary housing, including the Howard Johnson and Holiday Inn in downtown Vancouver. "It has deep implications for the work we're doing because of course, we want people to get indoors and be warm in the winter," she said in an interview Tuesday. “We need somebody to talk to. In the spring, Horgan appointed Shane Simpson, who was the minister responsible for social development and poverty reduction, to oversee the government’s mobilization of hundreds of homeless people in Vancouver and Victoria into housing. – Aug 26, 2020, Midtown Toronto shelter controversy has councillor looking to province for aid, Midtown Toronto shelter controversy has councillor looking to province for aid – Aug 14, 2020, ‘Disgusting’: Abbotsford, B.C. … No, it’s not right,” says resident Marilyn Mayers, who adds she doesn’t feel comfortable letting her teenage daughter walk around in the area by herself anymore. The city has committed to providing food, washrooms and shower services for people onsite, along with access to housing and health care support. Simpson, the mayor, park board Comm. Want to discuss? When I learned about the lease agreement, I immediately asked city staff about what their communications plan to the public would be," said city councillor Josh Matlow in a statement about the situation. Stewart said Tuesday his hope is that “hundreds” of homeless people living in the Strathcona Park encampment and in other parts of the city could be moved into some form of shelter in the next couple of months, if not weeks. What becomes of its new inhabitants remains entirely up to politicians, many of whom are out of fresh talking points and excuses, and continue to state the obvious — that a warm bed and a roof over that bed, along with good food and access to health care, improves a person’s physical and mental health. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a piece that posed the question whether it was time for a sanctioned homeless camp in the city. The most recent homeless count conducted in March showed there were 2,095 people in Vancouver who were either living in some form of shelter, or on the street, including those residing in recreational vehicles and cars, which there are many at the edge of Strathcona Park. “Due to the extended Phase 2 of the COVID-19 pandemic and the current demands on the city’s overcrowded shelter system, Timbercreek has entered into an extension of the lease to the end of January 2021,” a spokesperson for the real estate company said Wednesday. The convention centre shelter will stay open around the clock, the city says, with space for 300 people overnight and 400 people during the day. Simpson also pointed his finger at the feds. It is the biggest encampment in the city, with estimates of more than 200 people living in the park. Miranda Anthistle has the details. government and its housing arm — B.C. Council also ordered staff to use the 65-unit city-owned 2400 Motel on Kingsway and the Jericho Hostel at Jericho Beach to house homeless people, and to activate “temporary pandemic shelters.”, Sign in or register for your free account, Mayor Kennedy Stewart hopes ‘hundreds’ of people can move off the street in a couple of months, The Strathcona Park homeless encampment is the largest in the city, with estimates of more than 200 people living in tents. She criticized the “flagrant waste of money” for something that could have been done for far less. At Matlow's request, the city is hosting an online community town hall on Wednesday, Aug. 19 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. featuring a brief presentation on the Roehampton Hotel, an update on enhanced community supports and a question period for participants. An image from the Strathcona Hotel's website. “We’ve had to open about 30 new locations in six months. That question was based on suggestions I heard from residents who addressed the park board related to a revised bylaw concerning homelessness.