Self-absorbed Vancouver Politicians ignore rampant homelessness

Special to The Canadian

Vancouver's homelessness issue took a back seat in the municipal election because of unnecessary politicking, an advocacy group said on the eve of voting day.

The two front-runners in the mayor's race spent too much time attacking each other over the controversial $100-million loan council approved to prop up the Olympic Athletes Village, says the Pivot Legal Society.

The group, which advocates social change to help marginalized people, gave waterproof blankets to Vision Vancouver mayoral candidate Gregor Robertson as a way of reminding him of the needs of homeless people.

Robertson admitted that "in the heat of all the campaigning and all the rhetoric … there will be at least a thousand people sleeping outside on a cold winter night."

An estimated 2,000 people now live on Vancouver's streets, according to figures released in April by Simon Fraser University's Centre for Applied Research in Mental Health and Addiction.

Both Robertson and Peter Ladner, of the Non-Partisan Association, said the provincial and federal governments have to play their part and provide more social housing.

"The best thing that the city can do is provide the zoning and the partnerships for the social housing part and lean on the provincial government and the federal government to get the mental illness piece in place [and] look after people so they don't have to end up in our streets," Ladner said.

Homeless people lose faith

A Vancouver homeless man, who identified himself as Chico, said politicians shouldn't support decisions to build highrises when people continue to live without shelters. "If they want to clean up Vancouver, we shouldn't be walking around with our shopping carts like this," said Chico, who has been without a home for 16 years.

Richard Muldovan, who began living on the street five months ago, is also calling for help from the municipal government.

"City, wake up … start helping us out 'cause this is ridiculous. We can't live like this," Muldovan said.

Bree Dechambeau, who recently became homeless, said Friday that politicians only talk about social issues during elections.

"It's all talk. Nothing has happened," she said. "I kind of lost my faith in voting for people because they make all these [empty] promises."

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