Isitt’s takeaway from tent city: It can work

Councillors’ views differ on merits of extra policing; acting chief says new initiatives ‘very positive’

The police presence in and around the homeless camp on the Victoria courthouse lawn has proven that with proper checks in place, tent cities can work, says Coun. Ben Isitt.

“The lesson we have to take from this is that there is a way to manage outdoor sheltering that is safe — safe for the people sleeping there and safe for the broader community,” Isitt told council on Thursday.

But Isitt was quickly countered by Coun. Geoff Young, who said additional policing costs alone — which he said could amount to $1 million a year for a small pocket of the city — are not sustainable.

“I know [Isitt] started off with the view that a tent city could be managed, but I find it difficult to conceive how he can still hold that view after what we’ve seen,” Young said.

“If we spent $1 million of our police budget on one tiny neighbourhood of half a square block and we manage to achieve some semblance of civilization, to me that is not a sustainable model.”

Both were responding to an update given councillors by acting police chief Del Manak regarding dedicated police enforcement in and around the tent city.

The Victoria Police Department put extra foot patrols in the neighbourhood around tent city beginning May 21 after council approved additional funding of $113,000. Beginning in June, officers were stationed for 12 hours a day within the camp itself.

About $50,400 of the $113,000 budget has been spent on the neighbourhood patrol. It has cost about $90,000 for the officers in the encampment. Manak is trying to recover policing costs within the encampment from the province, which has ownership of the courthouse property.

Manak said both initiatives have been successful.

While there was initial reluctance and apprehension on the part of tent city residents to the police presence, that changed as they came to understand the police were there to support them and help in their search for housing.

In recent weeks, officers have performed CPR in overdose cases, apprehended people with outstanding warrants, made drug arrests, intervened in fights and prevented assaults, Manak said.

He also said known gang members who were living at the tent city have also left.

“At the end of the day, it’s been very proactive and very, very positive,” Manak said. “Having the officers on site and in the surrounding community has had a significant impact in bringing a sense of calm and safety, and also a bit of a code of conduct for how behaviour is occurring in tent city and the surrounding neighbourhood.”

Isitt said had the city implemented the management model now in place — with extra policing — many problems associated with tent city would not have materialized.

“I think we would have seen much less impacts on the neighbourhood, much more safety for the people residing there and probably a more orderly transition to housing.”

Young said tent cities by their very nature “create problems that are difficult to address” and reallocating funds to temporary shelters or permanent housing is a better use of resources.

“The word gets out and sometimes it’s not the correct word. The word is: ‘This is a sanctuary. This is where crimes can be committed without any chance of police intervention. This is a free for all where people can come’ — and I think the problems are obvious.”