Addressing the growing homeless crisis in the region will require a group effort — one that includes participation from the Clark County council.
The city of Vancouver is attempting to take a thoughtful and aggressive approach to a problem that is engulfing the downtown core. City officials convened an Affordable Housing Task Force this year to seek solutions to a situation that has seen low-income residents displaced from their rental units and the growth of a tent city near the Share House shelter in West Vancouver.
Among the efforts is the construction of Lincoln Place, a 30-unit facility being built by the Vancouver Housing Authority for chronically homeless people that is scheduled to open next spring. Most recently, officials announced the development of a day center in the Fruit Valley neighborhood to provide homeless people with a place to shower, use the bathroom, do laundry, receive mail, store belongings, and charge cellphones. The center will be run by Share and be in the Friends of the Carpenter warehouse, with Clark County and the city of Vancouver each contributing $125,000 to the project.
The involvement of the county is particularly heartening. In recent years, the county council has developed a habit of fomenting contentious relationships with other governmental bodies and agencies throughout the region, often ignoring the fact that big problems require big cooperation.
And homelessness has developed into a big problem throughout the area. While the focus often lands upon the city’s core, with a large and visible homeless population drawn to the area because that often is where services are most accessible, the issue extends countywide. In May, the county council approved a revised Homeless Action Plan, reducing the document from 82 pages to 16 pages in an effort to better focus upon specific high-risk groups — families with children, the chronically homeless, and unaccompanied youth.
But more should be expected of county officials. Clark County funds more than 20 nonprofit service providers, annually distributing more than $5.7 million in federal, state, and local funding while collecting tax money countywide for services and housing. The county’s ability to address housing for those in need far exceeds the city’s and calls for urgent action on the part of councilors. The Homeless Action Plan is simply a framework for action.
Meanwhile, the joint venture that is the day center is merely a step — though in the right direction — in a long journey. While immediate services for the homeless are a necessary stopgap, a housing crunch calls for long-term solutions. As Andy Silver, executive director of the local Council for the Homeless told the Vancouver City Council: “We can’t wait for the housing market to completely turn around before we deal with the homeless issue.” One illustration of the problem: When the Vancouver Housing Authority recently opened 1st Street Apartments in east Vancouver, it estimated it would take 14 months to rent out all 152 units; instead, it took 2 1/2 months.
Providing incentives for developers to create affordable housing will be essential in addressing the lack of affordable housing. So will striking a balance between the needs of landlords and residents. But whatever tactics are adopted, they will require cooperation on the part of all local officials.
