Serena Jackson and Caitlin Stockwell: Not in my park? So yes, in my neighborhood

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In September 2020, Strathcona residents marched through their neighborhood in response to Vancouver’s largest encampment of unsheltered residents in Strathcona Park.

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Some of the protesters demanded increased support services at the site, while some raised concerns about the impacts on local schools. One shared message, however, was clear: Homeless residents live in parks because they lack access to a basic human need: safe housing.

Two years later, five supportive housing projects are underway and will provide 300 permanent homes on city-owned land. These projects will displace no one, are fully funded by high levels of government, and will provide people who would otherwise be forced to reside in camps with safe and decent places to live.

While there is widespread consensus that Vancouver urgently needs more supportive housing, this housing could be blocked by a well-funded and organized opposition.

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If these projects are not approved by the city government, it is not simply a matter of going back to the drawing board (and further delaying access to homes) – the funds behind the projects will be lost. And the people who could have benefited from those homes will be left with the least undesirable alternative: sheltering in parks.

We cannot allow this to happen.

The Vancouver City Council is currently holding a public hearing on nearly half of these homes in a proposed 129-unit supportive housing project at Arbutus and West 8th in Kitsilano. The building will be managed by a non-profit housing operator and will provide services that help residents improve their physical and mental health and connect them with employment opportunities.

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Unfortunately, there has been significant and organized opposition to the project, spearheaded by people who are uncomfortable with the idea of ​​formerly homeless people living in Kitsilano. Some opponents argue that supportive housing should be built away from parks and schools and contained in the Downtown Eastside. Others cite concerns that the project will house too many at-risk people in one place and will be detrimental to these people’s health.

We need a citywide response to homelessness. This requires locating social housing in residential neighborhoods, which are often close to parks and schools. This is as true for Kitsilano as it is for the Downtown Eastside. As city staff noted, “There are no land use restrictions for low-income or homeless residents in city policies, and homelessness occurs citywide.” Let’s be clear: Relegating the housing of low-income, insecure residents to one area of ​​the city, no matter how you interpret it, is segregation.

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And as for concerns about the health of residents? Having a safe, clean, affordable and supportive place to live changes and saves lives. Every dollar spent on supportive housing creates $4-$5 in social and/or economic value.

This brings us back to the park campgrounds. When people shelter in parks, we cannot ask for quick government action to provide housing and then allow well-planned and well-funded options to fail during rezoning.

Until adequate and affordable indoor sheltering options become available, sheltering outdoors is not only necessary for many of our neighbors, but as recently upheld by the Supreme Court of British Columbia, a constitutional right. For reasons of both human dignity and legal responsibility, decision-makers cannot say “not here” to people sheltering in parks without sufficiently answering “then where?”

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Vancouverites increasingly recognize city parks as our shared backyards. But until safe and affordable housing options are available, for some of our neighbors, our parks are also their homes.

If people have access to safe housing, they won’t need to live in parks. Instead, they can use these parks for their intended purpose: recreation, socializing, and connecting with nature.

Yes, housing is a provincial responsibility, but rezoning to allow supportive housing and compassionate people-first policies for residents sheltering in parks falls to our City Council and parks board.

Serena Jackson and Caitlin Stockwell are running for OneCity Park Board. Stockwell is an attorney at First Peoples Law, where she supports the work of indigenous peoples to advance their rights and defend indigenous law and governance. Jackson is co-chair of the Vancouver 2SLGBTQ+ Advisory Committee. Jackson works as a Case Manager for At-Risk Youth in Supportive Transitional Housing at the Pacific Community Resource Society.