Victoria's courthouse campers concerned about living conditions, delays

There is growing concern about the living conditions at a homeless camp in Victoria after a series of wind and rain storms, but there's still no word on when a new shelter space will open.

Fred Walker is among about 80 people now camping on the small piece of provincial land beside the Victoria courthouse.

"It's been horrible. It's been absolutely horrible," Walker said of the weather while trying to make repairs to his tent. The wind damaged the stitching, causing it to leak.

"It's just more stress, compounded stress."

Walker said he is camping on the courthouse lawn because he receives disability payments, but has not been able to find a place to live on his budget of $375 a month.

He said he hopes a rent subsidy will soon come through to assist in his search for a home.

Sanitation is also a worry as the courthouse campsite grows. 

Three portable toilets were dropped off several weeks ago, but Rev. Al Tysick with the Dandelion Society said more needs to be done.

"It's just not enough. Those three either have to cleaned more or we have to put in more porta potties for the number of people who are there," said Tysick, who checks on the campers each morning.

Plan for new shelter

The province is still working on a plan to open a new around-the-clock shelter in response to the tent city. The site is also expected to offer meals and health services.

But it's taking time to find a location and to arrange for an organization to run the space.

The delay does not surprise Grant McKenzie with the outreach society Our Place.

He said significant staff will be needed to keep the new shelter open 24 hours a day, and finding a location neighbours won't complain about can be difficult.

"It's very difficult. You are talking about a lot of staff, a lot of talking with neighbours of the potential sites," he said.

People camping at the courthouse have been reluctant to use existing shelter space in Victoria, but Premier Christy Clark said this week that everyone will be expected to move once they have been offered somewhere else to go.

Walker worries meaningful efforts to find housing for the homeless in Victoria will fade away once the shelter is open.

"The government is embarrassed. They don't want people seeing this," he said. "They just want to warehouse us and push us away."