Homelessness Intervention Project

The Homelessness Intervention Project was launched in March 2009 to reduce homelessness and improve the way housing services are delivered. The project brings together all provincial and community social housing, health services, support services and income assistance. The Minister of Housing and Social Development is leading this project to ensure that services for homeless individuals with severe mental illness and /or addictions are delivered in an organized, fiscally responsible and timely manner to reduce chronic homelessness. The project has begun with five communities: Victoria, Kelowna, Prince George, Surrey and Vancouver.

Premier’s Task Force on Homelessness

The Premier’s Task Force on Homelessness, Mental Illness and Addictions brings together the Province and local governments to develop innovative strategies to help people with addictions and mental illness move from temporary accommodation to stable housing where their needs can be better met.

The Task Force led to the creation of the Provincial Homelessness Initiative which will provide more than 4,100 emergency shelter beds and housing units with support services for the high-needs group of homeless people who frequent shelters. This is part of B.C.’s shift to Housing First – providing priority housing to homeless people, regardless of barriers such as addictions, and then providing support services to help them regain their independence.

Emergency Shelters

Those in immediate housing need now have improved access to emergency shelters and support services. Shelters provide for their clients’ basic needs of shelter, food and hygiene and also offer a gateway to more permanent housing and support services, helping individuals re-stabilize their lives.

Cold/wet weather emergency shelter beds have been converted to year-round shelter beds and significant investments mean those shelters are now open 24-hours a day, seven days a week. Being open during the day enables shelters to help their clients connect to services and re-establish their lives, including employment and life skills programs, counselling, addictions treatment and mental health services.

Since some homeless people choose not to use shelters, BC Housing also funds eight drop-in centres that provide a variety of support services.

Reaching Out

Those who are homeless often also face mental health and addictions challenges that can make it difficult for them to access the help that is available. Homeless Outreach workers seek out people who are homeless and connect them with housing, income assistance, health and addictions services and other supports to help them regain their independence.

The first outreach workers were so successful that the program has rapidly expanded to include 42 Homeless Outreach teams in 48 communities. Aboriginal Homeless Outreach teams are operating in eight communities. The Province is also providing $5 million over the next four years to fund rent supplements, which will be used to place homeless people in affordable housing in the private rental market.

Many income assistance clients are unsure about their housing rights and responsibilities. The Housing Integrated Task Team was established to: ensure clients receive the full housing benefit they are entitled to; uncover cases of fraud or misuse of shelter allowance funds by unscrupulous landlords; and monitor building safety.

To ensure people with mental health challenges remain housed and to reduce the strain on emergency services dealing with mental health crises, the Province created Assertive Community Treatment Teams. These teams reach out to people living with severe mental illness to help them improve their mental health, manage other health problems and prevent hospitalization. A small group of professionals such as a psychiatrist, nurse, counsellors and outreach workers provide 24-hour emergency care and continuing follow-up services. Clients receive the individualized care they require to follow through on treatment plans and services.

Supportive Housing

Moving from the streets to a home can be a huge adjustment for many people. The Province supports a Housing First approach -- provide housing to those who need it with the supports they need to remain housed. This helps prevent people from cycling back into homelessness.

The Province has invested nearly $130 million to purchase 45 apartment buildings, townhouses buildings and single room occupancy hotels around B.C., protecting and upgrading approximately 2,000 units of affordable housing for those who need it most. Buildings have been purchased in Vancouver, New Westminster, Victoria, Kamloops, Burnaby, Surrey, Quesnel, Port Alberni, Prince George, Penticton, Williams Lake, Mission, Logan Lake, Nanaimo, Abbotsford and Osoyoos. Most of these buildings faced conversion to more expensive forms of housing or other uses.

Newly bought buildings are first renovated to bring them up to health and safety standards. Through partnerships with community non-profit agencies, the Province provides a range of supports to residents including: health care, meals, counselling and other life skills assistance they may need. Today there are more than 4,400 supportive housing units across B.C.

Working Together with Local Governments

The Province has forged strong partnerships with local governments that recognize communities play an important role in addressing homelessness and creating new affordable supported housing options.

To fast-track the development of supportive housing throughout B.C., the Province is contributing more than $10 million to fund pre-development costs, such as architectural, geotechnical and environmental plans. Memoranda of Understanding have been signed with Vancouver, Victoria, Kelowna, Surrey, Abbotsford, Nanaimo, Maple Ridge and Campbell River to create about 1,900 new social and supportive housing units and shelter beds.

Supportive Housing Property Tax Relief

Property taxes on supportive housing facilities have been reduced to a nominal amount – leaving more money for improvements to services and the facilities.