Shane Simpson, minister of social development and poverty reduction, announcing major homeless camps in Vancouver and Victoria will be dismantled. (Gov't of B.C.)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

HOMELESS CAMPS

Vancouver, Victoria homeless camps to be dismantled, no new supports announced for Nanaimo

Apr 25, 2020 | 11:10 AM

NANAIMO – The province is tackling swelling homeless camps but no supports were announced for the Nanaimo areas.

Shane Simpson, minister of social development and poverty reduction, announced Saturday, April 25 two major homeless camps will be dismantled.

The Oppenheimer Park camp in Victoria and Topaz Park in Victoria will be empty by May 9. Those living there will moved into housing at hotels and emergency locations. Further details about what type of housing will be provided wasn’t offered by minister Simpson or others in the Saturday press conference.

Simpson claimed support staff will be on hand 24/7 at the sites chosen to house those living in the camps.

He said this is the largest provincial government effort to tackle the large homeless camps, while admitting the plan came together in a couple of weeks and there will be bumps in the road.

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Of the roughly 1,700 housing spaces identified and secured across B.C., 13 are in Nanaimo and 12 are in Parksville.

“There are issues in a number of other communities around homelessness and street entrenchment in British Columbia and we know that. Minister (Selina) Robinson is talking to officials in those communities to assure them we will meet those needs.,” Simpson said.

Nanaimo City staff have identified upwards of 10 possible sites across the City which could be used as shelter and living spaces.

The recent 2020 point-in-time homeless count showed the crisis on Nanaimo streets has grown roughly 25 per cent.

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