Despite a pristine image of million dollar houses and picturesque views, it is no secret that Vancouver plays host to issues of wealth distribution and homelessness, driven largely by the inaccessible housing market. An onslaught of gentrification plagues the Downtown Eastside, aggravated by rapid development for events like the Olympics, and a general influx of wealthy property-seekers.
Regardless of the increased pressure, via rent increases or policing, for homeless people to vacate urban space, the blatant visibility of poverty in this ‘affluent’ city is what shocks outsiders. Upon moving to Vancouver from Paris, founder of the Binners Project Anna Godefroy described her surprise at the sight of such evident destitution on the streets. A 2017 CBC article recounts former UN representative Miloon Kothari christening Vancouver “apartheid city” after his visit from New Delhi. In applying this label, Kothari, like Godefroy, highlighted the exclusion of the impoverished from a rapidly developing Vancouver, where welfare rates have plateaued for the past ten years.
While the issue demands to be seen, Vancouver both as a city and on an individual level continues to ignore the root of homelessness and addiction in favour of ongoing progression to an ideal cityscape. An agenda that seems most achievable with the criminalization of the populations that hinder it.
I could not count the number of times I have heard a peer of mine either giggle or express shock at the sight of someone “shooting up in the middle of the street.” or begin to explain the deafening silence that falls as a group of students walk by a sleeping body on the way to a favourite Gastown restaurant. The sinking feeling so acute as the conversation lulls… As a hand outstretches just level to your knee do you step to avoid it? Escape eye contact because you know that could just as easily be you on that corner…pretend not to notice because it isn’t?
The intersecting factors that contribute to the current situation of homelessness in Vancouver are unquantifiable. I would argue, however, that the stagnation in addressing the current situation is due in large part to the negative social implications tied to poverty. A disconnect that seems almost irreconcilable spans the space between ‘us’ and ‘them.’ Scholarly work by Shelley Mallett identifies a societal elitism around the home and the barriers to who can access the glamorous housing that occupies much of Vancouver and its accompanying social capital. Borne of this elitism is an allowance of the exclusion of homeless populations from not only reasonable housing access, but even urban space and participation in policy decisions that directly affect their livelihood.
Much of the Law and Society CAP stream has treated the Downtown Eastside as a focal point for our discussion of poverty, drug use, sex work and the observation of other highly relevant social issues. In our contemplation of gentrification we identified police presence as a root cause of the marginalization of certain populations. I argue that criminalization justifies authoritative control over stigmatized bodies, those particularly targeted being drug users, sex workers and the homeless.
The mobilization of stigma through criminalization can be seen in the enactment of anti-camping or panhandling laws, and preventative architecture. Much of the authoritative focus is on removing homeless populations from public visibility because of the “disgust” they incite, especially in gentrified spaces like downtown Vancouver. The juxtaposition of individuals sleeping in the street with designer brand storefronts starkly clarifies the substantial wealth gap. The Vancouver Sun highlights the city’s status as the second richest in Canada, while BC boasts the highest rate of “working poor.” Despite the common and remarkably unhelpful advice for homeless people to “get a job,” the working poor constitutes a large sector of society who’s jobs do not meet the realistic living wage for a city like Vancouver.
Despite the efforts of gentrifying forces and criminalizing practices, the presence of homeless bodies in Downtown Vancouver is inevitable simply by the absence of an alternative. In my research surrounding supportive housing options I was made poignantly aware of the problematic nature of police inclusion in Single Room Occupancy hotels. The presence of authority turned any viable housing resource into a site for the social control of people who use drugs or participate in sex work. As options for these populations dwindle Danya Fast describes the feeling that people are no longer allowed to be homeless in Vancouver with so many factors against their favour.
So with little to no resources for refuge from the streets, what can we hope for the future of homelessness in Vancouver?
Fortunately, despite a bleak prognosis for meaningful government action, organizations like Pivot Legal Society stand a knight in shining armour. Pivot’s website describes their recent launch of Project Inclusion as “a comprehensive study into the ways in which specific laws and policies in policing, health care, and the court system directly undermine the health and safety of people who are homeless and living with substance use issues by trapping them in a cycle of criminalization.” The project aims to start a conversation and provide productive solutions to the social issues discussed thus far.
Pivot’s articulation of the homeless as ‘trapped’ by criminalization exemplifies the problematic nature of police presence in spaces like SROs. While designed to aid marginalized populations, authority can weaponize these spaces to condemn them. Project Inclusion highlights the intersection of this criminalization with stigma towards the homeless and drug users.
While some, as highlighted by Jane Boyd, view the Downtown Eastside as exemplary of the “stain of urban dislocation,” an inconvenience to this city, organizations like Pivot urge the public to push back against the prejudice that plagues this area. This can be done only by acknowledging the reality of housing and income disparity in Vancouver… admitting that this is not an individual problem but a systemic issue.
