Celine Mauboules, Senior Planner Housing Policy and Projects
May 31, 2016
Housing and Homelessness Report Card: Part 2
2015 Housing Report Card Part 2 Presentation Outline
1. Background 2. Why do people become homeless? 3. Who is living on our streets on in our shelters 4. What actions have been taken? 5. What are we doing moving forward?
Background: Importance of Solving Homelessness in Vancouver
3
66%
27%
4%
2%
1%
Very important
Somewhat important
Not very important
Not at all important
Don't know/Not sure
93% Believe It’s Important to Solve
Homelessness
“Talk Housing Survey” (N=1,554)
Background: Recent Trends
WHY DO PEOPLE BECOME HOMELESS? Some stories that are far too common…
• 57 years old • Receiving Income Assistance • Lived in same SRO for 20 years • Building sold to a new investor • Needs to find new housing for $375
“Tom”
What happens to “Tom”?
“Darrell”
• 25 year old in jail • Placed in foster care at age 9 • Homeless & addicted when arrested • Signed up for a treatment which starts 4 days after his release
What happens to “Darrell”?
“Amy”
• Moved to Vancouver 6 months ago • Hit by a car while on her bike • Her rent is due in 18 days • Cannot work & not entitled to benefits
What happens to “Amy”?
Drivers of Homelessness
Structural Factors
System Failures
Individual Factors
Aging out of care, discharge into homelessness, etc.
Traumatic events, mental health and addictions, etc.
(Gaetz et al., 2013)
Poverty, lack of affordable housing, etc.
Drivers of Homelessness: Poverty
Adapted from: http://www.cwp-csp.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/2015-Province-Poverty-Profiles_BC.pdf
75,413
100,086
146,902
184,176
0
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
120,000
140,000
160,000
180,000
200,000
2005 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Pers
ons A
ssist
ed
Year
Poverty Indicators in British Columbia
Food BankUsers
WelfareRecipients
Structural Factors
Structural Factors
• Average Market Rent for studio - East Hastings (CMHC 2015): $846
• DTES Private SRO avg rent: $479
• Market Basket Measure (2011) for single person $1,569/month
14
Drivers of Homelessness: Poverty
Income Assistance: $610/month Shelter Component: $375/month Everything else: $235/month
Structural Factors
• City-wide 0.6% vacancy rate
• Private SRO vacancy rate continue to fall: – 14% in 1992; 4% in 2015
• Private SROs rents increasing:
– $375 or less decreased from 60% in 2007 to 17% in 2015.
– $451+ increased from 14% in 2009 to 41% in 2015 .
15
Drivers of Homelessness: Loss of Affordable Housing
William G. Honer, MD, FRCPC, FCAHS Jack Bell Chair in Schizophrenia Professor and Head, Department of Psychiatry Director, Institute of Mental Health University of British Columbia
UBC IMH
H o t e l STUDY
Hotel study n=375
• Recruitment • SRO hotels n=310, DCC n=65, Participation rate = 73%
• Participant characteristics • Sex: males 78%, females 22%, transgender <1% • Age: Median 44 yr, range 23 - 68 years • History of homelessness: 68%
• Mental health, substance use, physical health • Mental illness: psychosis 47%, mood disorder 30% • Substance dependence: tobacco 92%, crack 63%, powder
25%, cannabis 31%, heroin 37%, methamphetamine 25%, alcohol 18%; any injection use 53%
• Physical illness: HIV 18%, HCV exposure 68%, HCV infection 51%, liver damage (hepatic fibrosis) 21%
• Visit with a family physician (during first 6 months): 84%
Hotel study: outcomes over time
306 people, with 730 person years of follow up (mean = 28.6 mon)
On an annual basis: 6.0% chance of
3.6% chance of
being homeless being jailed
Hotel study: homelessness over time
0255075
100125
Hotel A
Housed Homeless
Par
ticip
ants
23% 0255075
100
Hotel B
0255075
100
Hotel C0
255075
100
Hotel D
Hotel study: homelessness over time
05
10152025
Jailed
Housed Homeless
Par
ticip
ants
050
100150200250
Not jailed
05
10152025
Recoveryhouse Tx
050
100150200250
No recoveryhouse Tx
OR=6.8 (3.1-15.1)
OR=7.1 (2.9-17.2)
Hotel study: outcomes over time
306 people, with 730 person years of follow up (mean = 28.6 mon)
On an annual basis: 6.0% chance of 3.6% chance of
2.6% chance of
being homeless being jailed
being dead
Cohort mortality (n=375, 4.2 yr, 1581 person-yrs) Expected
deaths Actual deaths
Standardized mortality ratio = 8.4
(95% CI = 6.2 - 11.5)
Crude mortality = 2.53 / 100 person yrs
0
20
40
60
80
100
HIV Opioids Psychosis FibrosisARV methadone Antipsychotic no treatment
Treatment: four primary illnesses Pe
rcen
t tre
ated
n=64 n=202 n=173 n=59
Treatment: Clinical effectiveness and platforms: opioids
Somewhat effective treatment / Poor platfo
Mdo (n=126)
No mdo (n=72) P=
Days heroin 8.1 14.2 <0.001
Daily heroin 14.3% 41.7% <0.001
Heroin abstinent 44.4% 22.2% 0.001
Days crack 12.7 10.0 NS
Days powder 4.6 4.3 NS
Uni
que
pers
ons
with
1 a
ppre
hens
ion
(no.
)
0
150
300
450
600
0
575
1150
1725
2300
2875
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Valu
e A
xis
>1 apprehension 1 apprehension
Uni
que
pers
ons
with
>1
appr
ehen
sion
(no.
)
D
E
F
• Early mortality remains a persistent problem for people living in marginal housing in the DTES
• Psychosis and liver dysfunction are treatable risk factors associated with early mortality
• An integrated model of care should be tested as a means to create better value in health care in the DTES community
Conclusions
WHO ARE THOSE LIVING ON OUR STREETS AND IN OUR SHELTERS?
Results of the 2016 Homeless Count
2016 Homeless Count: March 10, 2016
• 10th homeless count in Vancouver • Characteristics of the homeless
population and trends over time • Point-in-time – 24 hour snapshot -
undercount • 450 volunteers • Partnership with BCH, Health
Providers, Shelter Providers, Greater Vancouver Shelter Strategy
1,847 PEOPLE IDENTIFIED AS HOMELESS IN VANCOUVER ON
MARCH 10, 2016
539 ON THE STREET
1,308 IN SHELTERS
2016 Homeless Count: Findings
2016 Homeless Count: 2005 – 2016
773 765
1,294 1,427
1,296 1,327 1,267 1,258 1,308
591 811
421 154 306 273 536 488
539 1,364
1,576 1,715
1,581 1,602 1,600
1,803 1,746 1,847
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Unsheltered Sheltered Total
Homeless Population as a Percentage of Total Population*
0.13%
0.13%
0.16%
0.18%
0.18%
0.19%
0.20%
0.23%
0.31%
0.00% 0.05% 0.10% 0.15% 0.20% 0.25% 0.30% 0.35%
Lethbridge (2014)
Red Deer (2016)
Victoria (2016)
Saskatoon (2015)
Toronto (2013)
Calgary (2014)
Kelowna (2016)
Edmonton (2014)
Vancouver (2016)
* Based on Census 2011, PIT transitional housing excluded
2016 Homeless Count: Total population profile
72%
Living in Vancouver for 1+ Year
23%
Women
38%
Aboriginal
11%
Veterans
13% LGBTQ2+
15%
Under 24
42
80
102
151
155
93
36
2
47
127
129
130
56
19
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180
Under19
19-24
25-34
35-44
45-54
55-64
65+
Unsheltered
Sheltered
2016 Homeless Count: Number Sheltered and Unsheltered People by Age
2016 Homeless Count: Profile - Youth (24 and Under)
Total Youth 2016
(n=136)
Total Homeless
2016 Men 61% 76% Women 39% 23% LGTBQ2+ 22% 13% Aboriginal Identity 45% 38% No Income 28% 12% Income Assistance 36% 35% Health – Addiction 56% 53% Health - Mental Illness 49% 40%
2016 Homeless Count: Health Conditions
Have one or more health
conditions
78%
31% (345)
40% (450)
42% (479)
53% (603)
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
Physical disability
Mental health issue
Medical condition/illness
Addiction/substance use
2016 Homeless Count : Income Sources
35% (398)
27% (301)
23% (257)
20% (231)
12% (136)
7% (77)
3% (31)
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%
Income assistance
Disability benefits
Employment
Other
No Income
OAS/GIS/CPP
EI
2016 Homeless Count: Homeless less or more than one year
55% 61%
45% 39%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
55%
60%
65%
2010 2011 2013 2014 2015 2016
Under 1 year
More than 1 year
4% (2)
26% (13)
14% (7)
22% (11)
20% (10)
11% (9)
17% (13)
22% (17)
28% (22)
16% (13)
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%
Outside of Canada
Other provinces
Alberta
Rest of BC
Metro Vancouver
2016
2015
2016 Homeless Count: 79 New Arrivals to Vancouver
2016 Homeless Count: Profiles of street, shelters
* Women likely to be underrepresented where they are hidden homeless
Street Homeless
Profile
Temporary Shelters Profile
Year-Round Shelters Profile
Men 80% 84% 70%
Women* 19% 15% 29%
Identify as Aboriginal 44% 40% 29%
IA or Disability 69% 64% 51%
Employed 15% 26% 31%
Homeless less than one year 49% 39% 27%
2+ health conditions 56% 48% 46%
Addiction/Substance Use 65% 59% 36%
Turn-Away – % increase since 2015 - 130% 58%
WHAT ACTIONS HAVE BEEN TAKEN?
Winter Shelter Strategy and
Outreach
Winter Shelter Strategy: What we’ve done
138 E Cordova 30 beds
Salvation Army
1648 E 1st 40 beds RainCity
134 E Cordova 40 beds
Salvation Army
900 Pacific 40 beds RainCity
49 W Cordova 30 beds
PHS 601 E Hastings
20 beds UGM
1138 Burrard 10 beds
Directions
Total of 210 beds – largest number to date
• Continued partnership BC Housing to open temporary winter shelter beds
• Located in areas where there are high numbers of homeless people - targeted outreach to ensure they get beds
• Access to transit and other community services
• Professional and experienced shelter operator
Winter Shelter Strategy: What we’ve done
Benefits of temporary shelters: • Opportunity for people to come inside – count findings show street homeless
accessing beds
• At least two meals/day - Positive impact on blood sugar and ability to cope
Winter Shelter Strategy: What we’ve done
• Connections with health and housing services
• Greater community awareness and support
Over 1,000 housed since 2009
Ethel Whitty Director Homelessness Services
Carnegie Outreach Program Metrics: What we’ve done
832
1866
2620
695
1287
1689
369
681 791
54 87 136
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
2013 2014 2015
Total clients served
New clients served
Housing units found
Housing units saved
Carnegie Outreach Program Metrics: What we’ve done
48% 37%
8% 7%
2015
927 total units
55% 31%
5% 9%
2014
768 total units
67% 24%
4% 5%
2013
423 total units
Type of Housing Found
Carnegie Outreach Program Metrics: What we’ve done
Number Percentage
First Nations 457 27%
Non First Nations 952 56%
Unknown or refused 280 17%
Female 423 25%
Male 1258 74%
Transgendered 4 1%
Unknown or refused 4 0%
Demographics of New Clients
Carnegie Outreach Program Metrics: What we’ve done
0%
8%
20%
23%
26%
17%
5%
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500
< 19
19 - 24
25 - 34
35 - 44
45 - 54
55 - 64
65 +
Age of New Clients
Youth
Seniors
Carnegie Outreach Program Metrics: What we’ve done
28%
38%
14% 12%
8%
< 1 month 1 month to< 6 months
6 months to< 1 year
1 year to< 3 years
3 + years
Length of Time Homeless
Temporary Housing
1060 Howe Metson Rooms
100 Rooms
395 Kingsway The Biltmore
95 Rooms
3475 E Hastings Ramada
54 Rooms
1335 Howe Quality Inn 157 Rooms
Temporary Housing: What we’ve done
Total of 406 Rooms
Temporary Housing: What we’ve done
• Temporary housing plays critical role • Tenants connected to housing and health services • Pending expiration of leases • Tenant relocation plans in development • Exploring additional temporary housing options
Temporary Housing Number of Rooms Open/Close 1335 Howe (Quality Inn) 157 2014/2016 1060 Howe (Metson Rooms) 100 2015/2020 395 Kingsway (The Biltmore) 95 2014/2019 3475 E. Hastings (Ramada) 54 2014/NA
Total 406
Single Room Occupancy (SRO)
Hotels
SRO’s: What we’ve done
• Current strategy - replace SROs with self-contained social housing • Interim strategy - improve condition, livability and supports for tenants • SRO Upgrading Grants: $5,000/door to non-profit owned/leased SROs
– $180k Asia Hotel (137-139 E Pender St) – $530k Murray Hotel (1119 Hornby) – $190K Sakura So Hotel (376 Powell)
SRO’s: What we’ve done • Recent amendments:
– increased conditional $15,000 per room fee to $125,000 to more accurately reflect cost of replacement
– Delegated authority to Chief Housing Officer for non-profit SRA permit applications
– SRA permit required for renovations resulting in tenant displacement (Tenant Relocation Plan required)
• Continue monitoring and enforcement of SRA By-law
SROs: What we’ve done • Increase tenants supports:
• First United Church Ministries advocates
• SRO tenant information flyer • Grant provided to annual SRO Tenant
Convention
SROs: What we’ve done
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
January-12 January-13 January-14 January-15
Outstanding Property Violations
80 % decrease
Social and
Supportive Housing
Social and Supportive Housing: What we’ve done
Social Housing • Nearly 1,700 units • 67% of 5 year
target • 62% completed or
under construction
Social and Supportive Housing: What we’ve done
Supportive Housing • Over 1,800 new
supportive housing units
• 81% of the 5 year target
• 94% completed or under construction
Social and Supportive Housing: What we’ve done
• The Budzey (220 Princess)
67
New nə́c ̓aʔmat ct Strathcona branch library
Social and Supportive Housing: What we’ve done
68
Social and Supportive Housing: What we’ve done
288 E. Hastings
69
420 Hawks
Social and Supportive Housing: What we’ve done
Architectural rendering
WHAT ARE OUR NEXT STEPS?
Intervention Rapid, Responsive, Repeated
Unsheltered/Sheltered
Pathways into Homelessness Prevention
Outreach Assessment
(VAT)
HOUSING SROs
Temporary Housing Social and Supportive Housing
Other Rental (Rent Sup)
Prioritization and
Coordinated Access
Intervention Rapid, Responsive, Repeated
Unsheltered/Sheltered
Pathways into Homelessness Prevention
Outreach Assessment
(VAT)
HOUSING REFRESH • Update
strategies and priority actions
• Set new targets • Focus on
opportunities to partner with senior governments
• Public engagement
HOUSING SROs
Temporary Housing Social and Supportive Housing
Other Rental (Rent Sup)
Prioritization and
Coordinated Access
Intervention Rapid, Responsive, Repeated
Unsheltered/Sheltered
Pathways into Homelessness Prevention
Outreach Assessment
(VAT)
HOUSING Non-Market to include:
SROs Temporary Housing Supportive Housing
Other Rental (Rent Sup)
Prioritization and
Coordinated Access
• Secure commitment to 600 2016/2017 winter shelter beds or temporary housing units
• New permanent Aboriginal shelter at 1015 E. Hastings to replace Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre shelter at 201 Central
Shelters and Outreach: Next steps
• Improve data collection and Information Sharing: – New Dashboard -more effectively
target intervention policies and strategies
– Expand use of Vulnerability Assessment Tool (VAT) to improve pathways out of homeless
– Improve homelessness services by exploring creation of app to shelter bed availability
Shelters and Outreach: Next steps
Intervention Rapid, Responsive, Repeated
Unsheltered/Sheltered
Pathways into Homelessness Prevention
Outreach Assessment
(VAT)
HOUSING SRO)
Temporary Housing Social and Supportive Housing
Other Rental (Rent Sup)
Prioritization and
Coordinated Access
Temporary Housing Options: Next steps
• Temporary Modular Homes Pilot to address urgent need for housing supply in the City
• Deliver units expeditiously and cost effectively • Move forward with site specific RFP
SROs: Next steps • Continue funding First United Advocacy • Vancouver designated as one of Rockefeller
Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities • SRO Reinvestment Funding Initiative -
Confirm partnership funding to support non-profit lease or ownership of private SROs.
• Reinstate SRO Management Training program
• Maximize use of existing supportive housing stock through “Supporting Tenants Enabling Pathways “ (STEP) Pilot
• Ensure Fed/Prov Homelessness Prevention Program rent sups are maintained
Social and Supportive Housing: Next steps
SO WHAT HAPPENS TO “TOM” “DARRELL” AND
“AMY”?
• Lost his housing and income and started sleeping outside
• Connected with Carnegie Outreach Team • Moves into a non-market SRO • Rent is $375 • Connected to support
What happens to Tom?
What happens to Darrell?
• Moves into a shelter • Opens his income assistance file • Completes Supportive Housing Application • Goes to treatment • Unable to secure supportive housing – relapses – back on street • Moves into temporary housing • Supportive housing with necessary supports
What happens to Amy?
• Provided a rent supplement • Applies for income assistance • Connected with employment services • Returns to work
Thank you
THANK YOU
Thank you