Vancouver Planning Olympic Homeless Evictions

by Shannon Moriarty · 2009-10-16 05:32:00 UTC
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Yesterday, the city of Vancouver announced that they will begin ridding the streets of homeless individuals to prepare for the 2010 Winter Olympics starting in February 2010. Despite repeated assurances that these individuals will be connected with services, something about this announcement doesn't jive. Maybe if our cities tackled the issue of homelessness with the same fervor as perparations for the Winter Olympics, there would be no homeless people on the streets in the first place.

It's an sad but common activity during high-profile events: city officials use law enforcement to remove homeless people from the streets or arrest them. Usually, they say these cruel tactics are necessary for security reasons. But with the eyes of the nation and/or the world descending on a city like Vancouver, many advocates - this one included - are suspicious of a city's ulterior motives. Could this just be an attempt to put Vancouver's best face, and streetscape, forward?

Clearly, the backlash over these types of evictions have Vancouver city officials on PR high-alert. Vancouver city manager Penny Ballum said all of the right things during yesterday's press conference. According to the Hook, she "gave repeated assurances that any dislocated people would be connected with a wide range of support services and shelter." She even mentioned Vancouver's extensive outreach network that helps people on the streets find housing. Now there's a step in the right directions. But why are they stopping there?

Vancouver is four months out from eviction date. Four months! Why not focus on rehousing these individuals during this time, removing them from the streets permanently instead of simply relocating them. Forget being a good host for the world over the course of two weeks. Try focusing on being a good home for your residents the other 50 weeks of the year.

Image: Shuggy.

Shannon Moriarty has worked in various homeless shelters and service organizations around the country. She is a graduate student studying housing and urban policy at Tufts University.
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