In the last three years the city halls of Saanich, Oak Bay and Victoria have all come out with various estimations of the costs associated with tent city homeless camps.
On Wednesday Saanich confirmed a total of between $746,000 and $923,500 in costs associated with the Regina Park tent city. The estimate doesnB次元官网网址檛 include SaanichB次元官网网址檚 legal costs spent taking the occupants to B.C. Supreme Court. Saanich didnB次元官网网址檛 break down the specific costs but said the money went to policing, the remediation of the park, storage for campersB次元官网网址 gear and a hygiene station with showers and toilets near municipal hall.
Victoria estimated its costs for Super Intent City on the courthouse lawn were more than $1.6 million well before the province stepped in. The province later reported a $3 million total to B次元官网网址榬emediateB次元官网网址 the courthouse lawn. Oak Bay said it accrued about $10,000 worth of costs after the roaming tent city spent three weeks at three different parts (one week per) in Oak Bay.
With totals well into the millions, itB次元官网网址檚 got social housing advocates shaking their heads.
This is nothing new said Bernie Pauly, an advocate of homelessness and a professor in University of VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 School of Nursing, adding homelessness always costs more than the fractured systems currently in place.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 so incredible to watch the same issues come around that weB次元官网网址檝e been cycling through for a decade, nevertheless we need to keep addressing them,B次元官网网址 Pauly said. B次元官网网址淥ur government is not investing in evidence-based solutions, they are making poor investments. The tent city costs could be providing rents, could be providing modular housing and other interim supports.B次元官网网址
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Little has changed since the Canadian Homelessness Research Network published its 2012 report, except that the costs have risen, Pauly added.
The report found the housing someone in the housing first model costs about $22,000 per year. ThatB次元官网网址檚 about half of the reported $50,000 per year that it costs to maintain the supports of policing, hospital, and social work for someone who is living homeless.
The costs come from responding to homelessness in tent cities through legal action and police, as well as shelters, which are all cost more than simply providing housing yet add solve nothing, Pauly noted.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 not an economist but it makes sense to me as a researcher, as a nurse, to know that when someone is homeless it costs more to [support them] in terms of money, and it costs more in terms of the impact on their own health and quality in life,B次元官网网址 Pauly said.
Before you say anything, just imagine what we could have done with $1M for housing! P.S. This doesn't include the legal costs to & for dragging homeless people into court. via
B次元官网网址 Ashley Molli (@aimollison)
Ashley Mollison from Alliance Against Displacement has been vocal in her criticism that Saanich is criminalizing homelessness by totalling up the money.
B次元官网网址淭ake the money spent on rousing people from parks every morning, 24-7 surveillance and tent city patrols, 75 cops to tear down a tent city, and put it into creating spaces where poor people can feel welcome,B次元官网网址 Mollison said. B次元官网网址淗ow about community centers that donB次元官网网址檛 cost money, access to bathrooms and storage, land for housing or structures until there is housing, etc.B次元官网网址