homeless deaths

The British Columbia provincial government is backpedaling in the face of outrage over legislation it drafted allowing the jailing of homeless people who refuse shelter in severe weather.

A partial draft of the legislation leaked, prompting officials to take pains to explain that what got out was an early draft discussion paper and not a proposal, reports Jonathan Fowlie of The Vancouver Sun. It was prompted by the death of a homeless woman on the streets in a fire she was using to keep warm last winter, said Housing and Social Development Minister Rich Coleman:

It’s about trying to get them [homeless people] to a place where we can show them what’s available so they can make a decision hopefully to not freeze. There’s no movement to say we’re going to take them to jail. There’s no movement to say we’re going to put them in a secure facility.

Critics charge that the move is intended to help clear the streets of undesirable people in preparation for the 2010 Winter Olympics. The city's Downtown Eastside neighborhood houses hundreds of homeless people and has become an embarrassment to city and provincial officials.

For a taste of the criticism, dip into Harsha Walia's post on the Sun's Community of Interest page, which details how similar street-cleanings took place in Atlanta (which has *much* more dangerous neighborhoods than Vancouver) and other cities where past Olympics were held. Walia cites a report by the Geneva-based Center on Housing Rights and Evictions etitled "Fair Play for Housing Rights." An AP story by Erica Bulman summarizes the report.

Update 3:50 p.m. : Whoops. I totally forgot to include this interesting Globe and Mail story that InvestigateWest intern Emily Linroth pointed out to me.

Following a string of deaths of homeless people in Alaska and British Columbia, Lisa Demer of the Anchorage Daily News released a comprehensive report on why homeless people are dying: lifestyle. At least four of the 12 deaths this summer were related to chronic drinking, a habit that often forced people who did have homes back onto the street when landlords told them they couldn't bring drinking buddies around anymore.

Is this lifestyle a choice? Many people end up on the street because they can't get a job, or start drinking to deal with the death of loved ones or other stresses. Anyone could end up in this situation. For people on the street, the most important factor is finding the next drink, meal, or shelter - they're not worrying about long-term consequences of their actions, because they're not sure there will be a long-term for them. They're focusing on meeting basic survival needs.

Researchers in Victoria, B.C., found the number one issue of concern for homeless injection drug users was security - physical safety and shelter - not infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C, reports Tom Sandborn of The Tyee. Once people have a safe place to stay that helps them battle their addiction rather than kicking them out, their stress levels and risky behaviors decrease. They are much more likely to use condoms and practice safer drug habits, or quit entirely.

Security also affects likelihood of death by outside factors, such as violent attacks.

Half of the eight deaths of homeless people in Anchorage over the past few months were alcohol-related, prompting the city to open an involuntary alcohol-treatment facility, according to the Associated Press. The center wants to provide beds for people to sober up and stay longer if they need to, and help them work on long-term treatment. Involuntary commitment can only occur if a person is incapacitated or has threatened violence, and if a family member or doctor petitions for it. This procedure isn't new, but has been held up by lack of space at other detox centers throughout the area.

– Emily Linroth

A man's body was found near an Anchorage park Sunday, the eighth death in the area since early May, reports Don Hunter of the Anchorage Daily News. So far, all the men have either been homeless or familiar with street life, and all have been found in parks, wooded trails or illegal camps. Police suspect alcohol and drug abuse played a part in most of the deaths. The latest man appears to have been beaten. A local man who found the body worries the deaths might involve gangs or people who don't like Natives. The police are still waiting on an autopsy report for this man and toxicology reports on two men found earlier.

– Emily Linroth