Vernon City Council endorsed a bylaw on August 14 that requires temporary shelters in City parks to be dismantled between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. This bylaw is consistent with the Supreme Court of B.C. ruling that states municipalities are legally required to allow homeless individuals to sleep overnight in public spaces when there are not enough available shelter beds. The shelters in Vernon are either full or close to capacity on a nightly basis, and the City must therefore allow homeless individuals to stay overnight in parks.
“While overnight camping for people without homes is a legally protected right when shelters are full, the bylaw will prevent permanent and semi-permanent shelters from being established in public spaces such as Polson Park,” said Mayor Akbal Mund. “Homeless individuals can continue to use the park and other public spaces during the day just like any other member of the public as long as they are abiding by the law.”
The City and North Okanagan Social Planning Council/Partners in Action will be working with the Camp Okanagan Outreach Liaison (COOL) Team to create awareness around the new bylaw and continue to provide support for homeless residents in Vernon. The COOL Team is comprised of members of Partners in Action, City bylaw compliance officers, RCMP and numerous outreach agencies that provide services to homeless people in Vernon.
Easy-to-read posters are being distributed that show the difference between a permitted temporary shelter and a more permanent structure that is not permitted.
The Partners in Action Committee, with funding for materials provided by the Community Foundation North Okanagan, has built storage containers for peoples’ possessions at the Upper Room Mission. Local businesses including Home Depot and Everton Ridge Homes came on board to assist with this project.
“It was imperative to build storage so that people don’t have to carry their belongings during the day,” said Annette Sharkey, Executive Director for the Social Planning Council. “Lack of storage options would be difficult on our homeless population and potentially upsetting to the general public.”
“The reality is that people sleeping in the park are significantly more vulnerable to violence and crime than someone using the amenities during the daytime,” said Sharkey.
“The Province of B.C. is in a housing crisis that has left many people homeless and municipalities across the province are struggling to deal with the impact on our communities,” said Mund. “Ultimately, it serves no one in the community to have people sleeping in public places. The City of Vernon is appealing to senior levels of government —the Province and the Federal Government—to take this crisis seriously and follow through with appropriate policies, funding and services.”