Coleman says tent cities need faster shut down responses to prevent growth
VICTORIA — B.C. Housing Minister Rich Coleman says he learned valuable lessons from the government’s handling of a homeless camp on the lawn at Victoria’s courthouse, and one of those lessons is acting more quickly to provide housing for people who are looking for it.
The camp saw more than 100 homeless people build a village of tents, fences and fires on provincial property in the middle of an affluent, tree-lined downtown neighbourhood.
Neighbours complained of rats and used syringes, while the residents of the so-called tent city and homeless activists said the camp was a real-life snapshot of the lack of shelter space and housing for vulnerable people.
“The one lesson we learned is, as we dealt with some on these tent cities, is early intervention and understanding the clientele,” Coleman said in a recent telephone interview. “I think we maybe could have done a better job on that in Victoria.”