Another day.听Another overdose by the showers building Saturday morning at Topaz Park.
This time, the person survived.
And unlike the devastation felt at the camp earlier in the week when two men died in their tents, likely of an overdose, there was a sense of relief Saturday that there would finally be help for the homeless, the mentally ill and the drug-addicted.
Solicitor General Mike Farnworth issued an evacuation order for the homeless camp at Topaz Park and for those camping on the medians of Pandora Avenue. By May 9, the government will move people from the camps into hotels rooms to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
鈥淚 feel so relieved and so hopeful because it gives a time frame to this,鈥� shelter manager Kelly Roth said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e constantly dealing with overdoses. All the staff and stakeholders and service providers who are part of this team were wondering how long we could keep doing it.鈥�
Five women camping at Topaz Park had already moved indoors Saturday afternoon, said Roth, executive director of the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness.
鈥淭hey were thrilled. They鈥檙e inside. They鈥檝e got their own bed to sleep in, their own bathroom. They鈥檙e super excited. Since they first heard some hotel rooms might be available, everybody has been asking 鈥業s there room for me? Is there room for me?鈥� One woman has been asking us every single day and she moved off today and she was ecstatic. She said she didn鈥檛 belong here and doesn鈥檛 use drugs.鈥�
On Friday, staff at Topaz Park made a list of everybody at the camp and everyone who wanted indoor shelter.
鈥淭here was a pretty strong response. Everyone wanted to move indoors. It鈥檚 fine when it鈥檚 sunny, but not when it鈥檚 pouring rain and people are cold and their pants are soaked.鈥�
Although the government has given the May 9 deadline, Roth thinks it will take three weeks at least, and maybe a month, before everyone is moved out of the park.
The plan is to move 15 to 20 people a day. But there鈥檚 a lot of stuff to move and it takes time to give people the supports they need, said Roth. Priority will be given to move the most vulnerable first, including women and youth, who will be assessed by the Ministry for Children and Family Development. The government has not said which hotels are being used to house people from Topaz and Pandora.
The staff at Topaz Park have been trying to create social order, said Roth. The tents are in rows and campers get breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. Next week, their laundry will be done,
鈥淔or some people, who have never had any kind of stability, it鈥檚 an opportunity to say 鈥楾his isn鈥檛 so scary. I actually can move.鈥� 鈥�
Sometimes people don鈥檛 last in supportive housing because they lose their street community, said Roth.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not because they don鈥檛 want the warm bed, it鈥檚 because they don鈥檛 have a sense of belonging.鈥�
The province has said they will keep family groupings together, which gives Roth hope that the little communities at Topaz Park will be able stay together and not be isolated.
The COVID-19 crisis has given the government the opportunity to address the homeless crisis because it鈥檚 in the public interest, said Roth. There鈥檚 been a lot of public pressure and letters from communities, doctors and nurses and police.
鈥淚f you have transient people moving through the city, we鈥檙e all at risk. The homeless crisis didn鈥檛 matter enough, but now it matters enough because everybody is at risk. This is about everybody and government has a mandate to take care of everybody.鈥�
Roth hopes people will be able to stay indoors until more permanent housing is available.
鈥淎 city, a province, a country is judged by how it takes care of its most vulnerable. So I think 鈥楪ood, B.C. Let鈥檚 go Canada. Let鈥檚 demonstrate that we care.鈥� 鈥�
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