Victoria’s mayor says a three-phase plan unveiled by police to crack down on violence and end a notorious downtown encampment will be just one part of a broader community safety plan coming this fall.
Marianne Alto added that she backs the Victoria Police Department’s three-phase plan which includes boosting foot patrols, working with city bylaw officers to remove structures and unoccupied tents, and eventually working with the province and city to break up the camp while offering its residents shelter or housing.
“I am supportive of that plan,” Alto said. “I want to make sure people understand the city is working in collaboration with the police department.”
Victoria Police Chief Del Manak unveiled the plan Wednesday, nearly a month after first responders stopped taking calls in the 900 block of Pandora Avenue without a police escort after a paramedic was attacked in the area.
Alto said a broader “community safety and well-being plan,” which incorporated the VicPD’s work, would be introduced to council this fall.
“We’ve certainly assessed … the expectation of the public around us doing something, this always comes back to the point that we can’t wait any longer for other people to take action,” she said.
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“We know that other people should take action and we continue to urge them to do so, but when we have a chance to make a change, make a difference, make it better, that’s what we’re going to do.”
At the same time, Alto said the city needs to see more from senior levels of government, particularly the province.
She gave the B.C. government “kudos” for its work to bring hundreds of new housing units online but said that the process will still take years, while immediate steps are necessary.
She also pointed to “massive” gaps in health and mental-health-care services necessary to address the homelessness challenge.
“All of this is happening in a context where we are seeing a very dramatic breakdown in social services that are usually provided by the province, and sometimes the federal government, with a little bit of interaction with local governments,” she said.
“Meanwhile, we need to create additional shelter spaces immediately.”
In a statement, Island Health said the situation on Pandora was challenging for everyone, and that it remained committed to working with first responders, the city and the public on long-term, permanent solutions.
“This is a complex, societal challenge involving trauma, poverty, homelessness, substance use, mental health and marginalization. It requires a multi-level, cooperative response from all levels of government, non-governmental agencies, non-profits and housing and health sectors,” the health authority said.
The province’s public safety minister added efforts were underway, with more information to share in the coming weeks.
Julian Daly, CEO of the Our Place Society, said he was feeling optimistic for the first time that there was a genuine commitment on the part of officials to tackle the homelessness problem.
Representatives from the city, the police, Island Health, BC Housing and service providers have already begun identifying shelter spaces and the health services people need to get and stay off the street, he said.
“I am really happy that finally that is happening, we’ve been meeting every week now for the last several weeks, and we have the right people in the room and it is very action-oriented meetings, it is not about sitting around talking,” he said.
“I think it is realistic that we could make serious inroads into ending street homelessness in Victoria in nine weeks.”
He added that social service providers were happy to see police stepping up enforcement on Pandora Avenue, where organized crime elements had embedded themselves to prey on the vulnerable.
Alto said she wouldn’t put a timeline on efforts to end the encampment on Pandora but said the city was committed to ensuring the street was once again available to the general public “at some point soon.”
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