Homeless camp fills up despite order from city
The latest homeless camp to spring up in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside was quickly filling up with campers Sunday, a day after the city ordered the camp dismantled.
“We’re building up the camp. More people are moving in. We’re making it nice and pretty,” said Maria Wallstam, of Alliance Against Displacement, a group that is supporting the camp.
About 50 people were staying in 25 tents at the camp at 950 Main Street. It was set up Friday.
On Sunday, Wallstam said a steady stream of people were showing up every hour and asking to set up a tent.
“We’re going to have to turn people away soon,” said Wallstam.
The city had given the campers until Saturday morning to leave, saying the camp violated the Trespass Act and the City Land Regulation Bylaw but only a Vancouver Fire Rescue official visited the camp Sunday and spoke to them about fire safety.
In a statement the city said that although affordable housing is “a critical challenge”and they support the right to engage in “lawful protest” they don’t support the camp.
“Past protest encampments have raised serious fire concerns as well as health and safety risks which required considerable effort by City, Fire and Police resources in order to protect the safety of those within and outside of the camps,” said the statement.
“Given the other pressures on those resources, including the response to the ongoing opioid overdose crisis, a protest encampment represents a significant risk.”
The city said staff are working with B.C. Housing to find housing for those who want it. A city spokesman could not say if there were plans to break up the camp.
Along with an empty lot at 946 Main St., the site has been slated by the city for the development of 30 social housing units in partnership with B.C. Housing and Lu’ma Native Housing Society.
Wallstam, who is not staying in the camp, said most of the campers are homeless people who have been living on the street. In the camp she said, people are able to leave their tents pitched and have their belongings looked after by others when they leave.“Here there is a whole community of people to back you up. All you have to do is shout,” she said. “There is a very strong sense of community.”
Wallstam said the tent city was set up 11 days before the provincial election to draw attention to what her group perceives as a failure by candidates to adequately address homelessness in their platforms and debates.
Joyce, a 38-year-old woman staying at the camp said her and her fiancé had been living at a downtown shelter before moving to the camp Friday.
“The shelters are dirty and there is lots of drug use there,” she said.