The Regional Steering Committee on Homelessness (RSCH) engaged CitySpaces to implement the Metro Vancouver Homelessness Consultation initiative to identify preliminary priorities and strategies that will inform the new Regional Homelessness Plan and guide the allocation of federal Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS) funding.
The Metro Vancouver Homelessness Consultation initiative engaged stakeholders throughout the Metro Vancouver region, ranging from housing operators, service providers, health authorities and other relevant organizations. There were four main components to the consultation:
- 3 Sub-Regional Workshops – the North East (North Shore, Ridge-Meadows, Tri-Cities, Burnaby and New Westminster); the South (Richmond, Surrey, Langley, and Delta); and, Vancouver.
- 4 Ideas Sessions: Targeted to service providers working with sub-population groups – at-risk youth, women, seniors, and the Aboriginal community.
- 10 One-on-One Interviews: With individuals with lived experiences of being homeless or at-risk of homelessness, and who have been housed for six months or longer.
- Online Survey: To gain feedback from participants on the ideas and solutions identified in the Metro Vancouver Homelessness Consultation Summary Report.
The Metro Vancouver Homelessness Consultation centred around identifying strategies and priorities to end homelessness, and focused on housing first, prevention, and capacity-building.
Through the Metro Vancouver Homelessness Consultation process, a number of priorities emerged. To name a few:
- Increase the housing supply through a combination of purpose-built, dedicated buildings and scattered site units.
- Provide housing specific to at-risk populations, such as housing for at-risk youth, women, families, seniors, the Aboriginal community, persons with mental health and addiction issues, and the LGBT2Q population.
- Protect and improve the existing housing stock, including improving the quality of older rental housing stock.
The Metro Vancouver Regional Homelessness Plan will be prepared in 2014, building off the Priorities identified through the Metro Vancouver Homelessness Consultation project, and establishing broad policy directions to address homelessness in the region.
PROJECT TEAM:
Jada Basi Noha Sedky Brenda McBain