Pubdate: Thu, 05 Nov 2009
Source: Province, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2009 Canwest Publishing Inc.
Contact: http://www.canada.com/theprovince/letters.html
Website: http://www.canada.com/theprovince/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476
Page: A12
Author: Cheryl Chan

'WE'RE STARTING TO SEE RESULTS'

B.C. Housing Minister Rich Coleman, the Downtown Eastside's 'czar,' 
points to a new urgent-care centre, a housing registry and the 
rehousing of 1,693 of B.C.'s homeless as evidence of progress

An "urgent care centre" for people with complex mental-health and 
addiction problems waiting to get into treatment is set to open in 
downtown Vancouver.

After a parade of official openings of newly renovated 
single-roomoccupancy hotels in the Downtown Eastside this year, 
housing minister Rich Coleman said the new facility - a 30-bed unit 
at the St. Helen's on 1161 Granville Street - is the next step in the 
province's Homelessness Intervention Project.

"It's for people who cannot go into supportive housing and have to go 
to the Burnaby Centre [for Mental Health and Addictions] but need to 
have enough time to get off the street and stabilize first," said 
Coleman. "This gives them a place to stay versus an emergency room."

The pilot project, jointly run by B.C. Housing, Vancouver Coastal 
Health and the Coast Foundation for Mental Health, is scheduled to be 
up and running by the end of the year.

The facility wouldn't have been possible without the cross-ministry 
cooperation resulting from the Homelessness Intervention Project, 
which aims to reduce chronic homelessness in five B.C. cities, 
including Vancouver, while integrating services and maximizing efficiencies.

Having taken the lead with this project, Coleman has become de facto 
Downtown Eastside czar, a role argued for by a number of contributors 
to Operation Phoenix articles.

"Czar" is a title the media have given him, said Coleman, but one 
whose duties he's ready to accept.

"I'm the housing minister and my job is to deal with homelessness, 
mental health and addiction, and coordinate it across government," he 
said. "If that makes me the czar, then I'll accept that, because 
we're going to get this thing done." It's a big job. A Province 
investigation tallied the cost of providing services to the 
neighbourhood by all three levels of government and other 
organizations at $360 million in 2007 - or almost $1 million a day. 
In addition to government agencies, a mishmash of roughly 120 
non-profit groups serve the Downtown Eastside.

So far, the Homelessness Intervention Project has done a "phenomenal" 
job, said Coleman. According to internal reports, the project has 
placed 1,693 people in homes since March, including 429 in Vancouver 
(80 per cent have remained housed).

But whether or not Coleman has been as effective in reducing 
inefficiencies and avoiding duplication of services to get the 
maximum bang out of the taxpayer buck is less clear.

Coleman has pinpointed outreach teams as an area rife with 
duplication. "Some of them have been amalgamated to get higher 
efficiencies," he said.

Pressed for details, staffers could not elaborate, but stress that 
the project has reduced the hoop-jumping required to navigate the system.

Instead of a homeless person visiting separate ministries and 
agencies to get help, they can have a single contact with an outreach 
worker who is then able to co-ordinate housing, income assistance and 
appropriate supports in one go.

The project also launched a new housing registry last December that 
allows a homeless person to submit one application to be considered 
for all vacancies in various Downtown Eastside housing units. Coleman 
wasn't able to say how much money has been saved or diverted to 
better use, or whether funding has been cut to any agency.

Janice Abbott, executive director of Atira Property Management, which 
operates 17 of the 23 Eastside SROs, said there's been an obvious 
increase in the quality and quantity of housing in the Downtown 
Eastside, but the benefits from improved co-ordination haven't trickled down.

"I don't see a difference," said Abbott. "I think non-profits for the 
most part have been kept out of the process . . . which is absolutely 
crazy because we're delivering the service."

Philip Owen, a vocal critic who has called for more accountability 
and oversight of funds and services in the neighbourhood, said 
integration is a move in the right direction, but is unsure how 
successful it'll be.

"Sure, it's helping. Absolutely. But how successful it has been or 
will be, I don't know."

But at least the government is addressing the problem, he said.

Vancouver Police chief Jim Chu, who had called for a "director for 
the most vulnerable people" to co-ordinate services in the Downtown 
Eastside a month before Coleman's appointment, said things have got better.

"There's been incremental improvements," he said. "The fix won't be overnight."

Coleman believes the efforts are making a difference. His regular 
visits and chats with locals have persuaded him there are fewer 
homeless people on the streets.

"It's hard to empirically say that, but I do believe that all the 
partners are pulling in the right direction," said Coleman.

"We're starting to see results."
- ---
MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart