David Eby - Blog

City staff want to blast homeless out of parking lots

2009-07-06T10:05:00.000-07:00

In a new budget to be heard by City Council on Tuesday, city staff are apparently proposing blasting homeless with noise at city owned parking lots.

And I quote, from the staff materials:

Other major projects proposed [include] purchase of noise makers at several locations which have proven successful in deterring vagrants.

As usual, if you want to speak to this at Council about the inhumanity of this proposal for people trying to shelter themselves from the rain, or just generally want to sound off on this, send an e-mail to mayorandcouncil@vancouver.ca with your thoughts or a request to speak and it will likely be bumped from Council on Tuesday to committee to hear from the public, probably on Thursday. None of the parties has taken a position on this proposal yet.

See Bob Mackin's article for details, hats off to him for investigative journalism.

Here's the agenda, it's item #8.

Here's the supporting materials.

Holy crap

2009-06-10T11:33:00.000-07:00

From today's Georgia Straight, read to the chorus of Handel's Messiah:

City hall has cracked the whip on the owners of three Vancouver single-room-occupancy hotels by ordering them to repair their buildings under threat of court action.

According to the article, enforcing the Standards of Maintenance Bylaw is already working.

Now that wasn't so hard, was it?

Explanations from the VPD

2009-02-19T11:10:00.000-08:00

Here are the official explanations from the VPD for the last two incidents posted on this blog, from Superintendent Warren Lemcke:

This morning I received an email from one of my Sergeants with regard to the issue you presented yesterday involving the throwing out of some property on Cordova Street. The Sergeant informed me that you had actually videotaped the interaction and posted it on you tube under the searchable heading “VPD throws out homeless belonging". I watched the video and I noted that at the end you seem to indicate that you located the person who owned the property in question but your video cut off before you identified him. If you have a name for this person please have them contact our Professional Standards Section. The names of the police officers involved are Constable 1764 Thouli and Constable 2657 Rodriguez.

I also received an email just now from Constable 2387 David Steverding. He self identified as the person who dealt with the people at 334 Carrall Street. The Constable did move these individuals on but it was only after a complaint from the owner of the building. We normally do not move people on unless their activity is unlawful or they are on private property and we have a complaint. This as is easily verified every morning in the DTES as despite the most positive affect the HEAT shelters have had, there are still, regrettably, some homeless sleeping outside.

And an excerpt from my reply:

I don’t mean to be dismissive of this Constable’s version of events, but there’s not a chance you had a complaint from the absentee landlord of the vacant 334 Carrall Street on the morning I witnessed this conduct, or from the methadone pharmacy whose clients these likely were, unless it is some kind of standing complaint where the person complains once and it’s good forever to justify conduct of officers. Also, this explanation fails to justify the intimidating threat of a mischief charge for sitting on a sidewalk, which is conduct that, as I understand it, is at best a violation of municipal bylaws, not criminal laws.

Incidentally, this VPD approach of throwing people’s stuff away without notice and then inviting them to contact PSS for reimbursement is not exactly a policy that seems consistent with constitutional and human rights norms, especially given the limitations of the population involved.

VPD throw out homeless man's belongings

2009-02-18T10:42:00.001-08:00

Another day, another incidental brush with the ongoing crackdown. If I'm catching this stuff just walking through the neighbourhood, two days in a row, you can imagine the scale of exactly what's going down.

A guy had set up a small campsite underneath the overhang of the Stanley Hotel between Carrall and Abbot on the North side of the street. As I was walking to work at about 8:40 a.m., I passed two City of Vancouver sanitation trucks, one of which was a garbage truck. I turned and looked back just in time to see a police car show up.

I stopped and watched as the male police officer asked two bystanders if they owned the shopping cart, tarps and blanket. He then approached me and I told him that I didn't own the belongings. He then made an "into the truck" motion with his finger to the City of Vancouver employees who then promptly began loading all of the belongings into the garbage truck.

I started videotaping immediately after the "into the truck" motion.

See the video for yourself, here or on youtube (it seems to play better on youtube), apologies in advance for the low-fi cellphone nature of the whole thing:

The guy you can see taking the cart away is a friend of the guy whose stuff it is. He told me that "I couldn't just let them throw it all away." The two voices you hear in the beginning are mine and the police officer's.

Homeless couple threatened with mischief charge

2009-02-17T09:03:00.000-08:00

This morning, on my way into work, I saw two City of Vancouver sanitation trucks, a garbage truck and a flat bed truck idling at the corner of Hastings and Carrall. Since I was about half an hour ahead of schedule, I decided to relax and eat a breakfast apple at the park and check out the scene.

It was boring. The City workers were just chatting to each other and apparently killing time. I decided to bail. Just as I got on my bike and started heading South, at about 8:35 a.m. I saw a police car turn right off Hastings and stop between Hastings and the lane on Carrall. I pulled a u-turn so I could see what was happening.

So there's some context here, I don't spend my time following police officers around. I find that for myself, larger policy advocacy initiatives are more helpful. However, there have been many reports of homeless folks of police and CoV sanitation workers tossing their stuff, and I thought I might be able to observe this first hand if I stuck around long enough. This is what I thought was taking place.

As I pulled up to within about 10 feet of a stocky white male police officer who had exited his car, license plate 775 JCM, I could hear what he was saying to a couple who were wrapped in a blanket sitting on the sidewalk out front of an abandoned residential building's doorway at 334 Carrall Street.

"This is your last chance," he told the couple. "I told you not to be here. If you're here again, I'm going to charge you both with mischief."

Charge with mischief? For being homeless and sitting on the sidewalk?

For your reference, section 430(1) of the Criminal Code says you commit mischief if you:
- destroy or damage property
- render property dangerous, useless, inoperative or ineffective
- obstruct, interrpt or interfere with the lawful use, enjoyment or operation of property
- obstruct, interrupt or interfere with another person in the lawful use, enjoyment or operation of property

Difficult to see how our homeless couple was committing this criminal offence by sitting on the sidewalk in a blanket this cold morning.

I'm not sure what kind of instructions are coming from the top in terms of clearing the sidewalks of the DTES in time for the Olympics, but this kind of thing is unacceptable. Who needs an anti-sitting bylaw if police will just make up the necessary offences?

I'd file a police complaint, but I could write the report of the officer that would result in the complaint's dismissal myself:

"I was attending at a homeless couple and offering them access to emergency shelter when an individual I identified as David EBY approached and began yelling at me. EBY had a red face and was very agitated. I advised EBY that I would speak to him when I was finished with the homeless couple, but EBY continued to yell. I advised EBY that he was risking a charge of Obstruct if he did not permit me to complete my interaction with the couple. EBY told me he would be filing a complaint, and then backed away. I then advised the couple that they were blocking pedestrian access and asked them to relocate, giving them the location of two different emergency shelters. They agreed to move. That was the end of my interaction."

Guaranteed.

On hunger strike - Day 1

2009-02-09T09:13:00.001-08:00

Am Johal has convinced me to join his campaign for more housing through a continuous relay-style hunger strike, participated in by residents across Vancouver. Although I am a big fan of food, I'm also a big fan of social and affordable housing, and this campaign has had considerable success in keeping the issue of housing on the radar in an election year.

I won't be eating for a week; however, this isn't an IRA style hunger strike as I'll be drinking fruit and vegetable juices, which means my diet will probably actually improve over the week.

I've decided to participate for some reasons that should be patently obvious to everyone that lives in Vancouver, or, frankly, any other city in B.C.:
(1) People are living on our streets who have no other option.
(2) Homeless shelters are full to bursting.
(3) The provincial and federal governments continue to refuse to commit to long-term funding of social and affordable housing projects, including affordable rental housing.

In my opinion, this relay style hunger strike should continue until Canada recognizes housing as a human right.

I will not experience true hunger on this strike as the people who live in our streets do on a regular basis, so this is little more than symbolic, but sometimes symbols are important, and I thank Am for setting this important campaign up.

Downtown Eastside czar

2009-02-09T08:54:00.000-08:00

It must be an election year, because almost the instant VPD Constable Jim Chu called for a Downtown Eastside "Director of Most Vulnerable People", Rich Coleman was on the job.

Coleman was quoted in the Province suggesting that the provincial government was spending up to $60m every year in the ten blocks of the DTES:

We spend $50 to 60 million a year to do services in the Downtown Eastside and that doesn't count the housing stock we also carry and maintain. We have a huge investment in this particular area and those agencies funded by us . . . are going to have to be part of it because it'll be a criteria.

The interesting part of this discussion between the new czar and the Province will be the obvious and irrefutable fact that there are inadequate housing, healthcare, drug treatment and mental health services in and outside the neighbourhood.

How this gap is consistent with the province spending $50-60m per year in the DTES is beyond me, except for perhaps the obvious fact that healthcare is very expensive and the Minister's service spending numbers probably are as reliable as his other numbers.

In any event, while the salary for a czar is minimal, the potential cost of "solving" the healthcare and services challenges of the DTES are not consistent with the slash and burn tax cut budget mentality of the current provincial and federal governments.

If the czar can work some meaningful and long-term healthcare and housing funding commitments out of the feds and the province, not just the ongoing bandaid solutions, then the position will be very helpful. If the czar is just there to compile everybody's records and turn them over to the police or other authorities, well, we won't be any further ahead, because although we'll know homeless Sam needs housing, mental health treatment as well as detox and drug treatment, there won't be anywhere to send him.

VPD 2009 business plan

2009-01-26T11:59:00.000-08:00

Here's the link to the "draft" 2009 VPD business plan, which is not on their website, but only found on the Vancouver Police Board website. This is the plan that suggests that a Downtown Eastside wide police crackdown is the best way forward to deal with the challenges in that neighbourhood.

Vancouver Sun Games cost tally: $6bn

2009-01-26T09:59:00.000-08:00

The Vancouver Sun has decided to try some Olympic accountability reporting, and late last week issued a paper with a cover that suggested the total costs of the two-week Olympic festivities now approximate $6bn.

On the same day, the Provincial government told Sun reporter Jeff Lee that the estimated direct economic benefits of the Games to B.C. would be $4bn.

Sounds like a great deal.

Eby campaign donor list...finally

2009-01-24T11:42:00.000-08:00

Apologies to those of you who have been waiting with baited breath for the realization of the transparency promise around my campaign donations. The following is the list of donors to my, sigh, failed campaign for nomination to the Vision Vancouver party for the 2008 municipal election in Vancouver.

Thanks again to all of these donors, most of whom were family or friends, who helped me run a seriously credible campaign despite it being my first time up at bat. Thanks too again to all of the volunteers who spent long evenings or weekends on the campaign as well.

Note that these numbers don't include the folks who bought tickets to the band fundraiser or the brunch fundraiser, as we didn't track those names due to the impracticality of it. No individual or company bought more than one ticket for either event and tickets were only sold at the door.

Personal and corporate donors to David Eby nomination campaign - 2008

Adam Cormier $25.00

Fern Jeffries $250.00

Krista Robertson $300.00

chardon labrie $50.00

Marjory Ditmars $10.00

Brock Martland $60.00

Christi York $10.00

Boni Parker $100.00

Ed Levy $500.00

David Diamond $100.00

Veronica Rossos $150.00

Ann Scott $50.00

David Wallbridge $50.00

Lyle Stafford $100.00

Anthony Price $100.00

David Eby $200.00

Michael Bozic $250.00

Kenna Graham $50.00

Eleanor Gregory $250.00

David Eby $2000.00

Janet Gartner $100.00

Ali Davar $1000.00

Megan Leslie $50.00

Joel Solomon $1000.00

Ian Gregson $100.00

Nathan Allan $100.00

William Pegler $50.00

Katharine Mirhady $500.00

Kenneth Pinder $50.00

Lyle Stafford $100.00

Renewal Partners $1000.00

Wayne and Margie Savigny $1000.00

Seth Klein $100.00

Ralph Stuebing $30.00

Maria Dobrinskaya $100.00

Devon Page $100.00

Julian Christians $25.00

Laura Eby $2000.00

Richard Elliott $100.00

Olympics, free speech, crackdowns

2009-01-23T09:50:00.001-08:00

It's beginning to look a lot like the Olympics.

- The VPD have promised a crackdown on the poor of the DTES unrivalled in history, focused on illegal street checks to simply harass the poor into submission;

- The City of Vancouver has passed a motion calling for Vancouver Charter amendments that could be used to create bylaws that would prevent leafletting or protest signs during the Olympics, and City staff are telling them that the exact wording of the proposed Charter amendments can't be released to the public;

- Other cities are concerned about an influx of homelessness and other displaced people in light of what they're hearing about Vancouver's clean-up plans in advance of 2010;

- The RCMP have been quoted in the Globe and Mail making a demonstrably false suggestion that they are meeting with Olympic protest groups to discuss "protest zones" and "civil liberties";

- And, oh yes, VANOC remains committed to sustainability.

The long promised ICI security consultation

2009-01-19T17:15:00.001-08:00

Vancouver City Councillors Geoff Meggs and Andrea Reimer have put together a motion on the issue of civil liberties for the inner city (read DTES, Mount Pleasant, Chinatown) related to 2010. The motion is scheduled for tomorrow's council meeting, but will likely be put off for public comment at committee either this week or next.

The motion calls for realizing the long-broken promise of consulting the inner city on the security agenda for 2010 to make sure that poor people aren't barred from essential services accidentally (or intentionally) by security forces. Portions of the motion read as follows:

AND WHEREAS commitment D under section Civil Liberties and Public Safety in the 2010 Inner City Inclusivity Commitment Statement states that VANOC would "commit to a timely public consultation that is accessible to inner-city neighbourhoods, before any security legislation or regulations are finalized, subject to lawful and legitimate confidentiality requirements;"

AND WHEREAS this consultation has not yet occurred, despite the fact that development of Games security policy is well under way;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the City of Vancouver urge VANOC and its Olympic partners to immediately establish a public consultation to fulfill the commitment under Section D, regarding Civil Liberties and Public Safety, in the 2010 Inclusive Inner City Commitment Statement;

AND BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED THAT the City of Vancouver direct the City Manager, in consultation with our VANOC partners, to convene a discussion with stakeholders affected by the Inner City Inclusivity Commitment Statement to review the commitments made there.

Important first steps, but important too to note the limited jurisdiction of the City over the security forces for 2010. The RCMP and Canadian Military, who will have full control over Games security as the Integrated Security Unit (ISU), are not accountable to the City in any way, shape or form. Similarly, even the VPD is accountable only to the Police Board, a Board which has the majority of its seats filled by the Province.

It will be absolutely critical for VANOC, the RCMP, the Canadian Military and other key government players, including the Province, to support this consultation and to promise to give effect to the recommendations reached. Otherwise, we'll just be talking to ourselves.

Blankets needed for shelter

2009-01-19T17:11:00.000-08:00

The new temporary homeless shelter at 201 Northern Way desperately needs blankets, so if you have a few extra kicking around your house, they'd really appreciate them.

Take it outta the oven, it's done: SE False Creek social housing

2009-01-19T16:59:00.000-08:00

In all the hubub about the Athlete's Village scandal the NPA gifted the City, very little has been said about the social housing commitment intended for the site.

In a conversation that seems like it took place years ago, but I remember as if it were yesterday, Kim Kerr told me, point blank: "Dave, there won't be a single homeless person living in those units come 2010." Turns out Kim may be right, though at the time I thought he was just being Kim, jaded by years of broken government promises to the neighbourhood.

The rent levels for the affordable housing units at the Athlete's Village have always been dependent on construction costs. The construction costs, we now know, are super gross, and getting to the point where Vancouver taxpayers may be envying Montreal's escape from Olympic debt in just 40 years.

Will there be any homeless people moved into social housing at SE False Creek? Just glad I didn't bet Kim Kerr that day.

What the heck happened at Pigeon Park?

2009-01-07T17:18:00.000-08:00

Can't believe how empty the City's most neglected park has been these days. Pigeon Park, which sits at the corner of Carrall and Hastings has always been the runt of the Parks Board litter. Despite that, the park is consistently full of people. Folks sitting, talking, and of course (this is the DTES), using on occasion.

But not anymore. The park is completely empty.

Like empty empty. Nobody. And it's been this way for weeks now.

The graffiti has been painted over (and re-graffitied, but still), and the benches sit unoccupied. Today I took a shot of three parks guys fixing the benches. Note the complete absence of anyone else.

The weather has been crappy, sure, but across the street at United We Can and in the back alley the streets are always packed with people. Why is nobody using this park anymore? I can guess, but do any readers know for sure?

Incendio displaced get emergency housing, bus

2009-01-07T17:11:00.000-08:00

The Italian pizza restaurant Incendio in Gastown went up in flames yesterday, and all of the tenants/occupants of the residential housing above were provided with emergency shelter and apparently a Translink bus to get them there.

Out of the tragedy of losing even more rental housing in this city along with people's homes and belongings comes a silver lining that may be worth examining for our homeless. Using a designated Translink bus to get the homeless to shelters where there may be capacity may indeed be something the City or Province should/could pursue. In New York, I understand that buses are used as temporary shelters for the homeless to warm up on cold or wet nights.

I can't let this pass without noting that when the Burns Block building was closed by the City two years ago with just 45 minutes notice, everyone was told to report to the Salvation Army, and there sure wasn't any bus.

Props to my source on this one...thanks!

Robertson opposes forcing homeless into shelters

2009-01-07T17:08:00.000-08:00

The Vancouver Courier's Alan Garr is reporting that Mayor Gregor Robertson is opposed to the idea of forcing the homeless into shelters, in a well thought out piece here. Garr reports that:

. . . Robertson himself actually mused aloud about the possibility of forcing homeless people into shelters rather than putting them at risk of dying on the streets.

He no longer holds that view.

While he lauds Coleman for coming up with money for emergency shelters in the past few weeks, he says what Coleman now proposes is "likely to prove problematic." He also says the cops, including Police Chief Jim Chu, don't like it either.

News from HEAT

2009-01-06T17:02:00.001-08:00

Regular readers may know that I was recently appointed to join the Mayor's Homeless Emergency Action Team (HEAT) this winter. Sworn to confidentiality, I can only tell you that things are going super well in terms of opening emergency spaces, and that regular updates are coming.

Here's the latest "official" news from the Mayor's office, I've taken out the quotes from the mayor and just left in the meaty bits for your reading pleasure. Incidentally, this comes from Frances' blog and the full version is available there.

Note that First United had more than 200 people per night on average, throughout the period when temperatures were way, way below zero. Crazy. For some reason the Aboriginal Friendship Centre numbers aren't included in this report, but will probably make their way into the report to council.

------------

Almost 300 homeless people found shelter every night over the past three weeks in emergency facilities opened by the Homeless Emergency Action Team (HEAT), Mayor Gregor Robertson said today.

More than 4,000 visits to emergency facilities were reported during the first two weeks of operation in December, providing shelter for 280 people each night.

The Homeless Emergency Action Team, or HEAT, was launched on December 9th. The 13-person team, composed of City staff, council members, health and safety professionals, and housing stakeholders, works to take immediate action in getting people off the street and into shelter this winter.

The three facilities opened in the first phase of the HEAT shelter strategy are:

First United Church, which through contributions of $10,000 from the City, the Province, the Streetohome Foundation, and St. Andrew’s-Wesley Church, can remain open 24/7 for the next two months; and

1435 Granville and the Stanley New Fountain, which are funded through contributions of $500,000 from the City, the Province, and the Streetohome Foundation.

The shelters reported the following capacities for the last half of December:

The First United Church had roughly 210 people a night since December 19th;

1435 Granville, operated by RainCity Housing, had a total of 429 people stay over the course of December 20th - January 1st, for an average of 33 people a night; and

The Stanley New Fountain Hotel, operated by the Portland Hotel Society, had 549 people stay over the course of December 19th - January 2nd, with an average of 37 people a night.

Another shelter at 240 Northern Way—the third to be opened under a three-way partnership between the City, the Province, and the Streetohome Foundation—is expected to hold between 80-100 people. It will open during the week of January 12th.

Forcing the homeless into shelters

2009-01-05T16:01:00.000-08:00

Ok, here's the situation. Housing Minister Rich Coleman has proposed legislation that police could use to force the homeless into shelters when it gets cold if the homeless refuse to go voluntarily. Sounds good at first glance; however, a few things to consider when you're evaluating this proposal:

There is inadequate shelter space in the lower mainland to give legislation to force the homeless into shelter any meaningful effect (people who voluntarily wanted in to shelters were turned away from lower mainland facilities 36,000 times in the last 9 months of 2007);

Ensuring safety for shelter providers who would then become, in effect, prison guards has not been addressed;

This issue could be seen as a PR campaign of distraction by a provincial government that wishes to appear concerned about homelessness for the provincial election, but does not wish to put a single additional cent into woefully underfunded mental health treatment, addiction treatment, or social supports for the Provincially owned SROs or the planned 1400 units of new social housing for Vancouver;

The statistics from the coroner’s office about homeless deaths show that the homeless die all year round from deaths like being assaulted, HIV, HEP C, drug overdose, suffocation, not just from high profile deaths like those suffered by “Tracey” and Darrell Mickasko, and the solution is not forcing people into shelters, but instead providing simple adequate supportive housing; and, finally,

There’s not a chance of passing this proposed legislation for this winter, but conveniently, there’s a decent chance of passing it for winter 2010, which just happens to be when the Olympics are being held, a time period at which one may not wish to have homeless people visible to tourists in the evening, or even during the day, when it gets so cold, and we'd hate for the homeless to be outside.

Sean Casey is a rock star

2009-01-05T15:42:00.000-08:00

Thanks a million times to Sean Casey for the wicked new blog layout, which looks so rad, I gotta wear shades. Not sure if Sean rents his talents out, but I could ask him if you've got your own blog that needs de-crappifying.

Last week on Hastings

2008-12-19T16:26:00.000-08:00

These two officers were giving this guy a ticket for something super offensive, like selling things he found in the garbage in order to survive. Makes me crazy.

Outreach workers tried to bring in woman as well

2008-12-19T14:37:00.000-08:00

I'm advised by a Vancouver Sun reporter that, contrary to earlier police reports, an outreach worker from St. Pauls also tried to bring the woman in from the corner of Hornby and Davie where she died. In an earlier post I had suggested that the woman had not come in simply because she did not trust police. Clearly there was more at play here.

From a friend of mine who had an unbelievable experience with this tragedy:

I read your post just now. I'm glad you were able to get to that guy.I was the 911 caller in the taxicab who saw another less fortunate person burn to death this morning. I was on my way to work. It was too late by that time I saw her to do anything. It was just a horrendous sight and the most awful thing I have ever seen in my life. Two contrasting stories. People's lives shouldn't depend on the randomness of somebody spotting them before they freeze.

Cold snap homeless death toll at 2

2008-12-19T13:54:00.001-08:00

From Stephanie, a regular reader and plugged in DTES resident, worker and observer:

I'm sorry to report this, but there was a death Tuesday night that didn't make the media - I found out about it Wednesday night from a colleague who works for an agency that serves people with mental illness. Three people went to sleep together, and only two of them woke. Apparently the young man who died was here from up north and had only been in town four or five days.

Another senseless death

2008-12-19T12:20:00.000-08:00

A homeless woman died on the streets of Vancouver last night. She burned to death trying to keep warm. Judy Graves says the woman's name was Tracey, and she was well known around the intersection of Hornby and Davie.

Last year, just 10 months ago, Darrell Mickasko burned to death in the same way. At that time, Pivot Legal called for a coroner's inquest when Darrell died, in the hope of effective recommendations on how to prevent this type of death from happening again. That request was denied. The report on Darrell's death has yet to be released by the coroner.

The police, who for the last weeks in Vancouver have been seizing homeless belongings, handing out jaywalking tickets, handing out illegal vending tickets and generally harassing the poor and homeless, can't figure out why the woman turned down two of their offers of assistance.

Such a senseless death, and just like Darrell's death, I hope once again it is the last of its horrific type in Vancouver.

HEATscore

2008-12-17T16:58:00.000-08:00

In Ontario, where I grew up, a heatscore was someone who, for whatever reason, always attracted police attention. They were a score for the heat. Get it? Not sure that's geographically unique, but it doesn't seem universal given my informal surveys.

Anyway, the Mayor has set up a Homeless Emergency Action Team of which I am a member. Currently a proud member. Liking the things that are getting done. A lot.

Last night at about 11:00 p.m. I was biking in the lane behind Pivot and saw a bike leaning against the dumpster. I looked closer and there was a guy lying down in the parking stall wearing a huge parka.

I went over to him, shook his foot, and he woke up with a start. He told me that he didn't know how he'd fallen asleep and that he was freezing. It was super freezing cold. He was glad and thankful I'd woken him.

Just 3 weeks ago that there was nowhere he could have gone except the hospital, or maybe into the Pivot office for an hour, because the shelters would be full. Maybe the Sally Ann would make some space for him somewhere, but maybe the doors would be locked.

Last night, I biked with him down to First United, one of the first shelters opened by the HEAT team, a portion of many more emergency beds to come to address the shortage of beds across Vancouver. Zero barriers. Bring your cart, pet, you're drunk, high, whatevs, we'll take you as you are. He ran up the stairs carrying his bike, didn't look back.

Powerful stuff. It affected me profoundly to see the real world impact of a new approach to homelessness in Vancouver.

All of this reassured me that the City is now on the right track, despite many challenges to come. The first challenge seems to be policing in the DTES, which seems to have been significantly stepped up in a new crackdown effort. It is critically important that HEAT doesn't become a heatscore for the poor, justifying or providing political cover for police crackdowns that previously wouldn't have been ok. Serious business.

I look forward to the next step, which involves closing these shelters HEAT has opened and moving people into permanent housing. No matter what else happens, at least they'll be alive to enjoy it.