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.Continue reading “Susan Z. Martin Addresses Mayor and Council – April 11, 2024”
Tag Archives: encampments
Niki Ottosen and Tammy C. Address Mayor and Council – April 11, 2024
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 23:00Continue reading “Niki Ottosen and Tammy C. Address Mayor and Council – April 11, 2024”
NSUN Member presents to Mayor and Council (Feb. 8, 2024)
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 beginningContinue reading “NSUN Member presents to Mayor and Council (Feb. 8, 2024)”
NSUN’s 2023 Year in Review
History 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,Continue reading “NSUN’s 2023 Year in Review”
Ask City Council to act on Federal Housing Advocate’s Report and Recommendations for B.C.
NSUN and other local organizations were thrilled to meet with federal housing advocate, Marie-Josée Houle, she visited Victoria in 2022. Her fact-finding tour focused on the right to adequate housing for First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples, encampments, and the financialization of housing. The resulting report draws on the knowledge and insights of those withContinue reading “Ask City Council to act on Federal Housing Advocate’s Report and Recommendations for B.C.”
NSUN Summer Closure
NSUN is taking a break from regular meetings for the summer. We held our last formal meeting on May 31 and will return in September. Stay tuned to learn when meetings will restart and drop us a line through our contact form or by emailing neighbourhoodsun@gmail.com if you’d like to be notified when we restart.Continue reading “NSUN Summer Closure”
154 submissions sent to Housing Advocate through successful joint project
Planning the project with The Shift Since fall 2022 NSUN, along with members of the Living/Lived Experience of Homelessness Network (LLEOHN), The Backpack Project, and the Peer2Peer Indigenous Society, have been in discussion with an organization called The Shift around doing a project in Victoria. The Shift is an organization helmed by Leilani Farha, theContinue reading “154 submissions sent to Housing Advocate through successful joint project”
Friend of NSUN talks to Mayor and Council About Inhumane Treatment of the Unhoused by Bylaw
Friend of NSUN, Jeff McEown (husband of breakfast crew member Helen), gave a stirring and powerful address to Mayor and Council on March 9, 2023, about the inhumane treatment of the unhoused by the City’s bylaw officers. See the video beginning at 14:46: https://pub-victoria.escribemeetings.com/Players/ISIStandAlonePlayer.aspx?Id=1c772d0c-358b-4cb9-b79e-d6447889c60f.
NSUN Breakfast Program
The NSUN breakfast program is the brainchild of one of our members who enjoys helping people in a very concrete way – with hot coffee and a hearty, homemade breakfast sandwich on Sunday mornings. Since November 6, 2022, the ‘breakfast program crew’ (usually NSUN members Heather, Helen and Susan) have gone out – rain, sunContinue reading “NSUN Breakfast Program”
Call to city council to end bylaw enforcement during Emergency Weather Response
One of our members spoke to the Victoria City Council on February 9, 2023, about the confiscation of unhoused folks’ tents and belongings by bylaw officers when the Emergency Weather Response (EWR) is active and the need for trauma-informed outreach. Many people living on our streets and in our parks are hesitant to use EWRContinue reading “Call to city council to end bylaw enforcement during Emergency Weather Response”
Neighbourhood Solidarity with Unhoused Neighbours 