Ultimate Writer

GROUP: __C_____ TOPIC CHOSEN:

SAFETY CONCERNS FOR ON-THE-MOVE HOMELESS FAMILIES IN VICTORIA

BACKGROUND: Homelessness remains one of the leading social issues in British Columbia, with Victoria experiencing

the highest number of homeless people in the province. The root of the problem of homelessness in Victoria

and the larger BC is primarily the lack of affordable housing that continues to render a huge number of

families homeless. According to a survey conducted by Victoria Police in 2015, homelessness ranked as the top

issue affecting business in Victoria, with crimes such as break-ins and drug dealing and abuse coming below it.

In 2008, the supreme court in British Columbia enshrined the right of people to camping in the parks overnight

when they lack shelter. This move prompted the Victoria police in conjunction with bylaw officers to be

undertaking a routine wake-up rounds every morning to keep the homeless families on the move (Wilson,

2018).

The movements of the homeless in Victoria are not only within the city but also across with a

significant number of them moving to Sooke over their safety in the streets of Victoria. Like any other

population, the homeless deserve to be protected for their safety, mainly due to the fact that they are a

population without permanent shelter. The measures that the provincial and local governments have adopted

to alleviate the issue of homelessness in Victoria, BC pose both safety benefits and setbacks. Following the

dismantling of a tent city in 2017, the homeless in Victoria have found themselves in frequent movement as

this meant that they did not have a permanent site on which to camp, thus increasing safety concerns for both

residents and themselves. Hipolito (2018) reports that the dismantling was occasioned by both security and

environmental preservation concerns, with the neighborhood residents reporting property crime and

vandalism.

The safety concerns are not only based on human conflict as there also exist other environmental

hazards that the homeless families are faced with according to Wilson, (2018)Children are particularly affected

by the higher risk of health hazards that they are likely to come across while playing outside. In a report

published in 2014 regarding the death rate among the homeless in Victoria, it was established that the region

has a disproportionately high rate of deaths among the homeless compared to other cities in BC. One of the

major causes of deaths was accidents as the homeless went about their businesses. Close to 50% of the

homeless are said to die as a result of accidents compared to 18% recorded in the general population. This

implies that movements are indeed a massive contributor to fatalities among the homeless population.

Therefore, besides putting in place permanent measures to alleviate homelessness in Victoria, BC, there is a

need to ensure that their movements are limited for the safety of both the residents and the homeless.

Establishing healthy tent cities, for example, is one measure that Hipolito (2018) states would minimize the

accidents that are recorded among the homeless. Also, this measure would help to contain the rate at which

criminal activities associated with homelessness spread across the city.

WORD COUNT: ____498_____ ( 500) BIBLIOGRAPHY (CITATIONS IN APA FORMAT) SOURCE 1 Derosa, K. (2017). Homeless in Victoria must keep moving on. Vancouver Sun. Web. Available at

https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/homeless-in-victoria-must-keep-moving-on

SOURCE 2 Hipolito, C. (2018). B.C. top judge refuses to order homeless from Victoria court grounds. The Globe

and Mail. Web. Available at https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/bc-supreme-

court-judge-refuses-to-order-homeless-from-victoria-court-grounds/article29527772/

SOURCE 3 Wilson, D. (2018). Homeless move to Sooke from Victoria for safety, survey hears. CBC News. Web.

Available at https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/homeless-sooke-survey-mayor-maja-

tait-1.4585005