Vernon homeless census

by Kate Bouey CASTANET - Oct 21, 2015 / 7:20 pm

Six homeless camps were found in public spaces around Vernon in the latest census taken by community outreach workers known as the COOL team, according to Annette Sharkey, executive director of the Social Planning Council. While Sharkey calls that “a bit of a spike” compared to other polls in recent years, it is far from the 30 camps counted in 2009. The camps are also usually pretty small. “Potentially, I can say that we were a community in crisis at that time," says Sharkey. But she believes Vernon's situation is not the same as that of the City of Abbotsford which lost a case in B.C. Supreme Court Wednesday to a group of homeless people living on public land. The court rejected the city's bid to shut down the camp. “The way that Vernon has approached this is a bit unique,” says Sharkey. “We actually have a protocol that was developed between the bylaw department and outreach workers in our community so they work together when there are homeless camps in public places.” Both groups communicate, ensuring everyone is aware of camps in the area and letting campers know there are services available to them. “We also developed a tips sheet about how to keep your camp safe and clean so they don't become a public nuisance, so we really try to educate campers,” Sharkey says. “If a camp gets to the point where it needs to be decommissioned, it's become a health hazard or a safety issue, the bylaw department lets the outreach workers know so they have a chance to connect with the campers.” The campers are given time to take away items of value before the campsite is removed. Sharkey says trends show three to five homeless camps in the Vernon area over the last four years. The slight increase follows the closing of the Green Valley Motel, an unsightly building in Vernon that was used for low-income housing until August. It is currently up for sale. “We had wondered what impact there might be, (but) it wasn't as significant as we had feared,” says Sharkey. She praises Vernon's bylaws department and its manager, Clint Kanester, for a willingness to cooperate with non-profit groups to help the homeless. “It is unusual to have this kind of relationship ... I think we're one of the few communities that has this kind of protocol.” Sharkey says the establishment of the Gateway Shelter in the fall of 2008 was “vital for our community to start to bring people in from the outside.” The shelter has 15 permanent beds for men and 13 for women. A shelter spokesperson says the beds for men are full every night.