NSUN was honoured to be asked to support the Housing Justice Project group as they spoke to the media and the public from the steps of the Legislature on May 7, 2024. They released their comprehensive report Homes for All: Evaluating the Right to Housing in Victoria, spoke about their personal journeys of homelessness and clearly laid out their 8 calls to action.
Calls to Action from the Housing Justice Project:
There must be direct and meaningful involvement of people affected by homelessness as partners and in employment roles.
Until there is adequate housing for all, end displacement of people living outdoors. Work with people in encampments to protect their human rights and provide basic services such as running water, electricity, bathrooms, sanitation, and garbage disposal. Stop Displacement, Stop the Sweeps.
Eliminate long-term stays in shelters by moving people into permanent housing within 30 days.
End evictions from transitional programs into homelessness. Move people directly from homelessness or transitional programs into permanent, adequate housing that costs no more than one-third of income, or the shelter rate with security of tenure.
In Greater Victoria alone, we need 2,000 net new deeply subsidized and shelter-rate homes constructed annually for the next 10 years to prevent and end mass homelessness in our region.
Provide everyone who is exiting homelessness with adequate housing as defined by The Housing Justice Project. Adequate housing aligns with human rights, and includes security of tenure which cannot be found in program agreements.
Reconciliation includes ending homelessness for Indigenous people with Indigenous-led housing and culture as healing.
We need rental supplements that are easy to access and are enough money to rent an apartment in the market.
NSUN members Heather (far left) and Susan (far right) help hold sign at the Legislature on May 7, 2024
On April 11, 2024, six speakers – three of who are members of NSUN – addressed the City of Victoria Mayor and Council around various issues associated with the homelessness crisis. In the list below are links to individual posts for each of the NSUN speakers as well as a note of when Bernice and Diana’s addresses begin in the video.
NSUN member Susan Z. Martin spoke to council about the slow pace of housing construction for those most in need in the CRD and what NSUN sees as a viable and quickly available alternative – sanctioned encampments. See Susan’s address beginning at about 38:35 minutes into this video. The text of her address is here. Resources that you might find helpful are shown in the list below.
“This MOU has been developed to recognize the parties’ shared purpose of supporting people in encampments and the unsheltered through commitment to implement HEART and HEARTH, a coordinated approach to resolution of encampments that prevents entrenchment, improves health and safety, preserves dignity for homeless encampment residents, respects the need for culturally appropriate services for Indigenous peoples, and considers the needs of the surrounding community.”
“… the Federal Housing Advocate launched a systemic review of encampments in February 2023. This systemic review has been carried out pursuant to subsection 13.1(1) of the National Housing Strategy Act. In October 2023, the Advocate published an interim report setting out the context of the crisis and documenting in detail what had been heard through the engagement process. The engagement process consulted directly with people living in encampments, local community advocates, Indigenous governments and representative organizations, and duty-bearers across all governments. This final report includes the Advocate’s conclusions about the factors leading to the rise in encampments and, most importantly, the concrete measures that must be taken by all governments to fulfill their human rights responsibilities in order to reduce or eliminate the need for encampments.” (page 5 of the report)
940 Caledonia Reports
940 Caledonia was a sanctioned encampment that existed for a few months (Dec. 2020 to March 2021) at 940 Caledonia. There is a summarized and condensed report (14 pages) available as well as a much more comprehensive report (138 pages!) that is full of details and helpful information that the present Council and city staff would do well to review.
940 Caledonia Movie
Mindfuel Films, which includes now Councillor Krista Loughton, made the movie 940 Caledonia about the experiences of the people who were tenting in Central Park and after being flooded out of that space set up the sanctioned encampment at 940 Caledonia. The movie’s trailer is available for viewing.
This 40-page document was developed relatively early in the pandemic (April 2020):
“As encampments increasingly emerge across Canada, there is an urgent need for governments to interact with them in a manner that upholds human rights. This Protocol, developed by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Housing and her lead researcher, Kaitlin Schwan, with the input of many experts, outlines eight Principles to guide governments and other stakeholders in adopting a rights-based response to encampments. While encampments are not a solution to homelessness, it is critical that governments uphold the basic human rights and dignity of encampment residents while they wait for adequate, affordable housing solutions that meet their needs. The Principles outlined in this Protocol are based in international human rights law, and the recognition that encampment residents are rights holders and experts in their own lives. The Protocol is intended to assist governments in realizing the right to adequate housing for this group.”
This 8-page document, created by the National Working Group on Homeless Encampments (NWG-HE) – “is intended to support municipalities in engaging homeless encampments in a constructive and peaceful manner. The Guidance is not a road map to solving homelessness. It is an effort to establish national standards, based in human rights, for municipal government engagement with encampments across the country. It is intended to help ensure the best outcomes for those living in encampments and their communities in the short term, while establishing a foundation for longer-term solutions.” This document was “shared at the Big City Mayors Caucus in May 2023.”
NSUN member Niki Ottosen, founder of The Backpack Project, was the first speaker of six to address council at their meeting on April 11, 2024. Niki spoke about the harassment of unhoused people by City of Victoria bylaw officers. The text of her address is here and you can watch her starting at about 23:00 in this video. Resources that you might find helpful are shown in the list at the bottom of the page.
After Niki spoke we heard from Tammy, who currently lives at VicWest park and who is regularly targeted by City of Victoria Bylaw Officers. She and Niki both spoke to Mayor and Council on January 11, 2024 as well (see Niki starting at about 12:37 and Tammy directly after in this video from the January 11th Council meeting). Tammy’s moving testimony on April 11th begins at about 27:07 in the video from April 11, 2024 .
“… the Federal Housing Advocate launched a systemic review of encampments in February 2023. This systemic review has been carried out pursuant to subsection 13.1(1) of the National Housing Strategy Act. In October 2023, the Advocate published an interim report setting out the context of the crisis and documenting in detail what had been heard through the engagement process. The engagement process consulted directly with people living in encampments, local community advocates, Indigenous governments and representative organizations, and duty-bearers across all governments. This final report includes the Advocate’s conclusions about the factors leading to the rise in encampments and, most importantly, the concrete measures that must be taken by all governments to fulfill their human rights responsibilities in order to reduce or eliminate the need for encampments.” (page 5 of the report)
Kori Sidaway from CHEK News interviewed both Niki and Tammy (who sometimes goes by Tammilynn) for this January 9, 2024 article (so before they presented to Mayor and Council).
NSUN member Helen Smith spoke to council on April 11, 2024 about the human rights violations perpetrated by Bylaw Officers on the unhoused and the moral obligations of the municipal government and the public to do better. See Helen’s address beginning at about 32:00 minutes into this video. The text of her address is here. Resources that you might find helpful are shown in the list at the bottom of the page.
“This MOU has been developed to recognize the parties’ shared purpose of supporting people in encampments and the unsheltered through commitment to implement HEART and HEARTH, a coordinated approach to resolution of encampments that prevents entrenchment, improves health and safety, preserves dignity for homeless encampment residents, respects the need for culturally appropriate services for Indigenous peoples, and considers the needs of the surrounding community.”
“… the Federal Housing Advocate launched a systemic review of encampments in February 2023. This systemic review has been carried out pursuant to subsection 13.1(1) of the National Housing Strategy Act. In October 2023, the Advocate published an interim report setting out the context of the crisis and documenting in detail what had been heard through the engagement process. The engagement process consulted directly with people living in encampments, local community advocates, Indigenous governments and representative organizations, and duty-bearers across all governments. This final report includes the Advocate’s conclusions about the factors leading to the rise in encampments and, most importantly, the concrete measures that must be taken by all governments to fulfill their human rights responsibilities in order to reduce or eliminate the need for encampments.” (page 5 of the report)
Who is Phil Ochs?
Helen mentioned Phil Ochs at the end of her address. Phil Ochs was a protest singer/songwriter or as he called himself a ‘topical singer’ – learn more about him in this Wikipedia entry.
On March 26th, the Federal Housing Advocate, Marie-Josée Houle, moderated a panel of lived experts and grassroots organizers who spoke to how all levels of government can work together to address the urgent and life-threatening crisis of encampments, in collaboration with encampment residents. Houle recently released her comprehensive report and her urgent call for a human rights-based National Encampments Response Plan.
On February 8, 2024 NSUN member Heather Murphy presented to City of Victoria Mayor and Council urging the City to implement the Municipal Guidance document, from the National Working Group on Homeless Encampments, that lays out simply and directly the recommended way for municipalities to engage with homeless encampments. You can see Heather’s presentation beginning at 29:00 on this video of the Council meeting. You can also read what Heather said in this PDF.
From November 2022 to March 2023, NSUN members Helen, Susan and Heather ran a breakfast program that saw them taking hot coffee and breakfast sandwiches to Stadacona and Topaz Parks every Sunday – including Christmas and New Year’s Day which both fell on Sundays during this time.
When NSUN resumed regular meetings after a summer break, we discussed running the program again, and Michael and Kris of the Victoria Downtown Residents Association stepped up to help strategize and plan the relaunch.
It quickly became clear that we would need a more ambitious venture if we were to provide food and drink to the folks on Pandora, since there were so many more people to serve. We signed up loads of willing volunteers, and in January 2024, we had our first breakfast event. The plan is to do two more – one in February and one in March.
We were very grateful to Cool Aid for letting us use the kitchen of the Downtown Community Center, where almost a dozen volunteers squeezed in to make about 5 dozen muffins and another 5 dozen breakfast burritos. It was chaotic and crowded, but we got it done. By 10 a.m. volunteers were handing out muffins, burritos and fresh fruit to folks along the block.
It was a great event and if you’d like to be involved in the next one drop us a line through the contact form or by emailing us at neighbourhoodsun@gmail.com.
One of NSUN’s activities is pushing back against policies and regulations that are harmful to unhoused people.
The change to bylaws regarding personal property introduced by the City of Victoria in early-December 2023 is one such action. This bylaw allows officers to impound the belongings of unhoused neighbours for several days, and the changes include a shorter holding period for impounded items, changes to the definition of “trash” which allow more items to be discarded, and changes the pickup location from Centennial Square to multiple storage facilities across Victoria. Advocates and unhoused people oppose the changes.
Unfortunately, despite sending emails and engaging in conversations with Councillors against the proposed bylaw changes, they were passed unanimously. It remains to be seen how these changes impact unhoused people in 2024 and beyond.
City Council did put together a bid opportunity for an organization to come forward to provide day storage for the belongings of unhoused people. An NSUN member reviewed this bid opportunity and found it complicated and with high requirements for potential organizations that might run such a storage facility. This bid opportunity is now closed and it will be interesting to see if any suitable submissions were made and if this becomes a reality.
Niki Ottosen, an advocate from the Backpack Project, and Tammy Cardinal, an unhoused neighbour, spoke to Victoria’s Mayor and Council about the harm caused by current personal property bylaws on January 11, 2024. You can watch their presentation starting at 12:30 or read Niki’s speech.
At NSUN, we often wonder if our activities have impact. One of our members took the screenshot below from a Facebook group where community members were discussing the January 11 council meeting. As you can see, some were very moved by Tammy’s heartfelt presentation.
We hope that council too will listen to those neighbours with lived experience of homelessness and repeal the current bylaws on personal property and sheltering outdoors during extreme weather that are causing more harm than good.
The Fairfield Gonzales Support for the Unhoused group (FGSU) was formed at the end of October 2020 by a small group of neighbourhood residents with a shared interest in supporting those without homes camping 24/7 in the parks located in Fairfield Gonzales; Meegan/Beacon Hill, Gonzales, and Hollywood. In June 2021, we renamed our group, Neighbourhood Solidarity with Unhoused Neighbours (NSUN) to be inclusive of the many people who came from other neighbourhoods to join our group.
Size and Function
From our founding in fall 2020 to mid-2021 we met EVERY WEEK on Zoom (we felt that the situation demanded that given the urgency and severity of the need of those living outside). Since mid-2021 until the end of 2023, we’ve typically met every two weeks on Zoom – though we did take June through August off this year (2023).
All are welcome to attend especially unhoused or those in transitional housing. If you are reading this and are not a member of NSUN but would like to be on our mailing list or learn more about joining as an active member please send us an email at neighbourhoodsun@gmail.com or use the contact page.
The Shift is an organization helmed by Leilani Farha, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on Housing from 2014-2020. Farha is a human rights lawyer by training and started The Shift in 2017 with the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and United Cities and Local Government. Farha is also “the central character in the documentary PUSH regarding the financialization of housing “.
In summer 2022, The Shift approached grassroots groups working on homelessness in several cities across Canada about undertaking a project. Here in Victoria they timed their visit to coincide with a visit by the newly appointed Federal Housing Advocate, Marie-Josée Houle. Representatives from The Shift, as well as Houle and local members of her team, met with folks from NSUN, LLEOHN, The Backpack Project, and others with lived and living experience of homelessness.
After several months of planning in late 2022 and into early 2023, we prepared to start asking people with lived and living experience of homelessness to make submissions to the Federal Housing Advocate about their homelessness experiences. We began taking submissions on a small scale, a few people at a time, in March 2023. Our activities culminated with an event on Pandora Green on April 21, 2023 (see image below). By the time the dust settled and all the submissions were scanned and submitted the Victoria team had clocked in at a massive 154 submissions (around half of the national total). The project is now finished (though we are awaiting the last tranche of funds from The Shift) and the Federal Housing Advocate released an interim report in October 2023 and the final report will come out in early 2024.
Continued Advocacy for a 24/7 Bathroom on Pandora
In November Heather Murphy got a letter published in the Times Colonist and was instrumental in getting the 900 Good Neighbour group (which she is a part of) to ask Councillor Thompson to create a motion to have the City write a letter to the province asking them to provide funding for a 24/7 bathroom on Pandora. The letter is below and the motion passed in Council on December 21, 2023. Fingers crossed (as opposed to legs!) that this will bring some relief in the New Year.
Backpack Project Event
On December 21, 2023, instead of having a regular meeting several NSUN members came together with The Backpack Project, SOLID, AVI and the Victoria Downtown Residents’ Association to participate in The Backpack Project’s pop up donation event (see group photo on final page).
Heather (left) and Susan modeling ‘housing hats’
We had postcards at the event addressed to Mayor and Council and encouraged people to fill them out (we will drop them off later – probably in the New Year)
Other Activities
NSUN members took part in the ‘Keeping it Human’ event at the Victoria Event Centre on November 29, 2023 (this was put on by The Existence Project). Thank to Ashley Chun who incorporated a drive to collect items for unhoused people along with the FGCA’s final clothing swap (December 2, 2023). Susan also wrote a short piece that was featured in the December Observer newspaper (https://fairfieldcommunity.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Merged_compressed.pdf – page 5).
Donations
Cash donations for the unhoused continue to be accepted via the FGCA Canada Helps account specific donation line. If you’d like to make a donation or share it with a friend see https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/6848?v2=true and select option 4 in the fund box (see below).
Online presence
We launched our website in September 2022 so it’s not legitimately something we did this year but (https://nsun.ca/) more recently (October 2023) we set up a Facebook page. If you are on Facebook just search for Neighbourhood Solidarity with Unhoused Neighbours. We also have a Twitter account (I refuse to use the name X) @nsun_victoria. Please follow us and share our various online platform addresses/handle.
Future Directions
In 2024 we will continue to advocate for 1) 24/7 bathroom on Pandora, 2) sanctioned and supported encampment(s) as an alternative to shelters while housing is being built (typically 2-3 years out even when modular building techniques are used). We will also keep pressing for the City of Victoria to take a human-right-to-housing approach to the homelessness problem rather than the punitive, criminalizing approach they currently seem locked into.
Attendees at December 21 event: NSUN members Sinan Demirel (at the H in Human), Bob Crane (M in Human), Kayla MacKay (G in Right), Susan Martin (to the right of the T in Right), Heather (holding Merry Christmas sign), Martin Girard (kneeling to left of sign), Rowena Locklin (to right of Merry Christmas sign in brown jacket), Kris and Michael – members of Victoria Downtown Residents Association and NSUN members – Kris in red jacket to the left of Heather and Michael in the blue jacket to the right of Heather (both are standing behind her)
Neighbourhood Solidarity with Unhoused Neighbours 