FILE PHOTO: Pets, backpacks and shopping carts fill the parking lot of the Upper Room Mission on Friday, Aug. 18, 2017.

(CHARLOTTE HELSTON / iNFOnews.ca)

VERNON - There’s no question homelessness has become much more visible on the streets of Vernon in the last couple of years, but why now?

Admittedly, there is no one cause for a person’s homelessness — there are many factors, from mental health, to addictions and upbringing. Those, however, are nothing new. So what’s changed in the past few years to make homelessness so pronounced in our communities?

The most compelling reason? Housing.

Look at the graph below showing the rental vacancy rate in Vernon compared to the twice annual homeless count, and you’ll see a pretty strong correlation. Vacancy rate goes up, homeless camps go down. Vacancy rate goes down, homelessness skyrockets.

Annette Sharkey, executive director for the Social Planning Council of the North Okanagan, says this is the most significant factor they’ve found for the drastic increase in people sleeping on streets and in parks.

“I think people are really not sure why this is happening in our community right now. What we’re trying to do is understand the “why” and take a look at all the trends. We’ve been tracking all kinds of data. This to me is the strongest correlation. When you see the trend over that 10 year period, it’s striking,” Sharkey says.

The number of people sleeping outside was at its lowest in 2012 and 2013, when the vacancy rate was at a plump six to seven per cent. By 2015, the vacancy rate shrank to just 1.9 per cent, and the number of homeless camps began to explode. A healthy vacancy rate is about four per cent, Sharkey says.

The latest in-depth homeless survey, completed in October of 2017, found 44 people sleeping ‘rough’ outside, and 108 staying at local shelters, recovery centres or the women’s transition house. According to the survey, most people said they were homeless due to the high cost of housing. Three people said they were homeless with their children.

“Families are finding it really challenging, especially if their unit or house has been sold and they are finding themselves out of the market again,” Sharkey says. “There’s a lack of units, and the rents are astronomical.”

Another trend illustrated by the numbers is the effect of the Gateway Shelter in 2009. Previously, Vernon did not have a homeless shelter.

“When the shelter was brought into the community, the numbers go significantly down,” Sharkey says. “You hear sometimes in the community there’s concern that when you have organizations and services you actually attract people to the community. You see the opposite trend in this data. The numbers went down for a number of years.”

Given the data, Sharkey says the biggest thing that can be done to reduce homelessness is invest in more types of housing.

“Right across the housing spectrum we need more units. More family units, more supportive housing, more affordable housing in general. We are so behind in our housing stock. There are waitlists for all our supportive housing,” she says.

— Note: Social agencies adapted their method of conducting the homeless count in 2016, when they noticed a shift in the composition of homeless camps. Previous to that year, homeless camps were mostly small and widely dispersed around the community. For that reason, the census recorded the number of camps, not the number of people. By 2016, homeless camps tended to be larger congregations; there were fewer campsites, but more campers within them. In response, the new methodology is to count individuals, rather than camps.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston or call 250-309-5230 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. 

News from © iNFOnews, 2018