Homelessness
PQB’s unhoused struggle to get through another winter without shelter
Number of people experiencing homelessness in the area continues to increase. by Kevin Forsyth from PQB News – Read the source article here. Unhoused people in the Parksville Qualicum Beach area are once again without a consistent overnight cold weather shelter. Temporary overnight warming centres have so far opened for […]
Debunking Misconceptions About Homelessness
Reposted from the Union Gospel Mission, read the original article here There are a lot of stereotypes out there about people who are experiencing homelessness. You’ve probably heard some of them: statements like “People just need to get a job” or “They wouldn’t be outside if they didn’t want to […]
Oceanside Cold Weather Response
There are multiple organizations launching cold weather responses for the coming weekend in the Oceanside area. ICCS will run an overnight warming shelter from Saturday Feb 1 through Tuesday Feb 4 from 7 pm to 7 am at the Christian Fellowship Centre, 825 Village Way in Qualicum Beach. There will […]
In Rural Areas, People Who Use Drugs Face Particularly Severe Housing Crisis
From Filter Magazine, by Sydney Sauer Compared to the media spotlight on urban homelessness and drug use, rural areas have received far less attention. While this media coverage is often stigmatizing and problematic, the imbalance reflects how rural populations are largely overlooked, and their unique needs neglected. A study recently […]
Unsanctioned OPS continues near Nanaimo hospital, movement spreads across Canada
Reposted from Nanaimo News Now NANAIMO — A group of Island doctors and volunteers pushing for governments and health authorities to provide overdose prevention sites at hospitals continues gaining traction. Doctors for Safer Drug Policy has continued operating their unsanctioned pop-up overdose prevention site (OPS) across from the Nanaimo Regional […]
Homelessness is a policy failure, not a crime
From the Wellesley Institute. Read the source study here The number of people living in encampments across the province has been growing in recent years. At least 1,400 encampments were reported across Ontario in 2023. The growth demonstrates how current social and economic policy is failing more and more people. […]
Did police ever actually support decriminalization?
No. by dustin godfrey – The Bind – Read the original source article here Dec 06, 2024 VPD displace people living in the Downtown Eastside in April 2023. Police chiefs in Canada say they no longer support decriminalization, but a longtime Vancouver drug policy analyst says we shouldn’t take them […]
Saanich mayor pushes back against reports of no emergency shelter space in district
The district sent out notices Friday saying the Victoria Native Friendship Centre would expand to offer 33 beds, rather than its usual 25, during extreme weather by Andrew A. Duffy at the Times Colonist. Read the full source article here The District of Saanich — under fire this week for […]
Responding to homeless encampments
Local governments’ human rights obligations Homeless encampments are increasingly common across British Columbia. These encampmentsare a result of structural conditions, including the failure of all levels of government to upholdthe right to adequate housing. They must be understood in the context of historical and ongoingsystems of discrimination and colonization. Read […]