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Shelters to stay open with new funding

March 9th, 2009 · 10 Comments

Word is about to come down that the city and province will put money in to keeping the new, as they’re called, “Gregor shelters” open for a few more months, while more permanent housing is brought on board. That’s the result of intensive meetings Friday, Saturday and Sunday with Mayor Gregor Robertson, Housing Minister Rich Coleman and Premier Gordon Campbell at various locations.

What’s not clear yet is whether all of the five shelters — First United, the warehouse near Great Northern Way, the two city buildings under the Granville Bridge, and part of a social housing building in Gastown — will stay open.

So far, the shelters have been getting good reviews from the downtown business association and Vancouver police, who are reporting fewer problems with public disorder and fewer calls on mental health issues than the previous January.

Categories: Uncategorized

  • Gorewell

    Gregor shelters? Is that like a Hooverville (or maybe Obamatown)?

    They should be called Taxpayer shelters. Because that’s who’s paying, not Gregor, it’s not his money.

  • MB

    Actually, it is Gregor’s money. He’s a Vancouver taxpayer like many of us. Albeit the shelters add up to a few cents per rate payer and their cost shouldn’t be an issue.

  • JCobb

    Courtesy Margaret Thatcher:

    “The trouble with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money”

  • RossK

    JC–

    Just have to ask….

    Would you say the same thing about the money being spent on, say, the five-ringed circus?

    .

  • Charles Gauthier

    One media outlet is reporting that the cost to house one homeless person in a shelter is $36 per night.

    Although this should only be a short to mid term solution until the homeless can be placed in more suitable accommodations with support, it appears to be a very sound investment for the taxpayer just on this basis alone.

    However, if you add up the cost savings from having fewer police resources directed at street disorder caused by some of the homeless and fewer homeless people being rushed to the hospital for treatment (i.e. hyperthermia), I suspect that it would be a high multiplier of $36 per person per night.

    Putting the money aside, it is the right thing to do to help our most vulnerable. They are getting access to the basics– shelter and food.

  • rf

    I feel sorry for the people working/supervising the Gregor Shelters. “No Barrier” doesn’t just mean “Carts and Pets are OK”. It also means showing up drunk and high is OK too. These shelters are a time bomb. Someone will get hurt and the taxpayer will be liable.

  • Forthingham

    Gregor has become a loose cannon in a short few weeks. The garden project is another sign that he is a weak sister populist…. what a mistake a i made in voting for him.

  • not running for mayor

    Looks like yet another in camera meeting for Mar 11th. I thought we weren’t going to have anymore of those. Maybe Frances can run the numbers but I do believe the new council has had more in camera meetings then any other council in the same time period. Guess they are deciding which vegetables would be best to grow and then feed the chickens with, the eggs will be donated to the shelters as breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

  • fbula

    FRANCES SAYS: Yes, I noticed that meeting. It’s odd, I don’t recall ever having seen the city post notices of in-camera meetings when they are on their own like this. I don’t know if it’s that they didn’t have any or that they didn’t think they had to post the notice.

    Anyway, my guess would be that it’s more Olympic-village related stuff, specifically the KPMG report that is supposed to be released next week. Or it could be approval for the village financing, though I have my doubts that has been arranged so quickly.

  • Vision governs, the NPA blogs

    Wah wah wah.

    90 days, $90 million saved on interest payments for the new OV deal.

    End. of. story.