Police: No link reported between shelters and crime.

By Martha WickettOBSERVER STAFFJan 17 2007 http://www.saobserver.net/
Children harmed, women assaulted, seniors robbed. The prospect of a homeless shelter near recreational activities evoked fears for several speakers at the public hearing Jan. 8 regarding the Salvation Army’s rezoning application. Vernon currently has two shelters, one in its downtown, The Shelter, as well as Howard House on the outskirts. The Shelter, run by the First Nations Friendship Centre, is located at the Salvation Army House of Hope, where the food bank also sits.

A check with a few people involved with the downtown shelter showed it does not appear to have endangered citizens. Neil Thompson has been co-ordinator of The Shelter since July 2005. The shelter can sleep 16 in its main room, with an overflow of six. It accepts men, women and children, but is used mainly by men. It does not have a maximum stay, but people must check in every day to get a bed. Its hours in winter are 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Asked about danger to the community, Thompson said he hasn’t seen any. “For people who worry about crime, if there are people out there who aren’t sheltered, especially this time of year, they may commit a crime just to go inside the cell blocks to find a warm place,” Thompson said.

As for danger to children, he noted that the shelter is half a block away from the Boys and Girls Club and two blocks from the recreation centre. “These guys aren’t out there to hurt people. They feel like they are victims themselves,” he said. “For the most part they aren’t angry and out to get anybody; they’re just wanting some help.” Because there is no maximum stay at the Vernon shelter, people get into a routine, sometimes lining up three or four hours before opening time to ensure a spot. “The loitering is difficult,” he said, explaining that it creates a mess with people sitting a­round with shopping carts, blankets, pil­lows and mats.

In the winter, people often stay at the shelter for three to six months at a stretch, he said.Asked if he thinks the loitering would occur if the shelter had the two-week maximum stay that the Salmon Arm shelter would, he replied: “Probably not, if those rules are stuck to... As long as the policy is two weeks, I don’t see the problem of people staying. That’s one thing I wish they had done at the beginning here.”

At the public hearing into rezoning for the proposed Salmon Arm shelter, Terri Jones, executive assistant to Okanagan-Shuswap MP Colin Mayes, said both she and Mayes support homelessness initiatives, but they are concerned about the location. It is near an indoor arena, a dance studio and the fairgrounds. She warned of increased crime, citing her two years with the Downtown Vernon Association.

“I don’t think it’s a good mix to have people who are either alcoholics or people who are on drugs in situations where they’re around kids or the elderly – especially when it’s a fact they will steal to support their habits,” she said in an interview after the meeting. “Years ago, you saw a type of homeless person who didn’t bother anybody, but I think you’re seeing a change. We’re definitely seeing an increase in aggressive and overt criminal activity.” Asked if she could suggest a better location, she re­marked: “I don’t know Sal­mon Arm well e­nough – Colin may have some ideas.”

Cpl. Henry Procé is media relations officer with Vernon RCMP and has spent eight years policing in Vernon, five of them as a watch commander. He said he hasn’t seen any evidence that homeless shelters present a danger. “From the police point of view, I don’t see this as a cause of increased crime. In fact, it may have the opposite effect, with a place where they’re warm and dry and not so desperate – not sleeping in bank foyers.” He said although some people who are homeless will have drug dependencies, they’re not generally part of the drug subculture. “Those people are younger and more mobile – most have vehicles.”

As for attacking children, he said a homeless person doesn’t generally fit the profile for a pedophile. “They (pedophiles) usually have access to computers and residences where they can lure from,” he said. Although Procé said it’s hard for police to pinpoint the exact generators of crime, he added: “I wouldn’t say putting in a homeless shelter is automatically going to be the cause for an increase in crime – I wouldn’t make that equation at all. They’re certainly not hotbeds of crime. They’re people who want to get out of the cold and want to have a bowl of soup – they’re not looking to commit crimes.” Due to the absence of the detachment head, Salmon Arm RCMP declined to comment on the proposed shelter.

Terry Pakenham, a civilian, has been with the City of Vernon/RCMP Safe Communities Unit for seven years. As for crime and homeless shelters, he remarked: “It’s been my experience, and I’ve done a lot of research with this... Historically there’s been no relationship established between shelter location and crime trends. There doesn’t seem to be any correlation between the two.” He said the issue often enters the realm of perception and reality ­– two distinct areas which are often blurred. He said every community is impacted both negatively and positively by a shelter and, by keeping everyone’s interests in mind, and by carrying out due diligence, the majority of negative effects can be mitigated.

Pakenham recommends such measures as: making sure there is a well-educated volunteer base to deal with potential problems, making sure there is support from within the community, educating and creating partnerships with surrounding properties, and getting co-operation from the police. “If you tell me ignoring them (the homeless), it will get better, or forcing them out of your community, it will get better, you’re kidding yourself.”