Vancouver is considering a variety of options at a wide range of costs as it plans for future supported campsites for people experiencing homelessness.
Jamie Spinelli, Vancouver’s homeless resources coordinator, told the Vancouver City Council on Monday that the options include tents, tiny home models, huts and Pallet Shelters.
Prices range from $400 to $7,900 per unit, with tents the cheapest option and Pallet’s prefabricated structures the most expensive. Each option has its own constraints, such as being vulnerable to pests and mold or being unprotective.
Spinelli said using Pallet Shelters in supported campsites makes the most sense in the long term. Although the Pallet structures are the most expensive option, she said, they are the most durable and include many amenities that the others do not.
“No matter how ‘water resistant’ a tent claims it is,” she said, “in this part of the country, it doesn’t last as long.”
Pallet Shelters come with two beds, smoke and carbon dioxide detectors, a fire extinguisher and an electric heater. They are also accessible for people with physical disabilities.
Supportive campsites will include 20 shelters, one staff office, portable restrooms and handwashing stations, a dumpster with regular trash services, a canopied community space and a storage shed. The communities are more like a miniature neighborhood than a campsite, Spinelli said.
There will be regulations to keep the area neat and tidy. Staff envision each structure having 3 feet around it where people can cultivate gardens or store items like bicycles.
Council members showed their support of the city creating a “village” for homeless people in Vancouver and lauded the concept for being home-like.
This update came later than it was initially intended, Spinelli said. The previous plan was to have the first supportive campsite up and running by early fall. However, it was delayed because it took until September to award the contract and pass an ordinance allowing daytime camping.
“Admittedly, that was a pretty ambitious goal,” she said.
Locations for the campsites are yet to be determined.
