Victoria Joins Municipal Campaign

July 20, 2006: Victoria City Council passed the resolutions below:

Reducing the Barriers to Income Assistance

It was moved by Councillor Hughes, seconded by Councillor Madoff, that Council approve the following resolution:

WHEREAS the main cause of the doubling of homelessness since 2002 are the barriers to getting income assistance that were introduced by the province in 2002 (3 week wait, 2 year independence test and numerous bureaucratic hurdles required for applying for income assistance) and

WHEREAS homelessness causes unnecessary suffering and hardship for homeless people as well as the appearance of disorder on streets; and

WHEREAS ending the barriers which prevent people in need from getting income assistance would reduce homelessness and panhandling.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the City of Victoria Council urge the provincial government to end the 3 week wait and 2 year independence test for income assistance and provide resources to assist people to access financial assistance, and that other municipalities be asked to do the same.

Carried

Provincial Income Assistance Rates

It was moved by Councillor Hughes, seconded by Councillor Madoff, that Council approve the following resolution:

WHEREAS:
• At least 700 people in the Capital Region are homeless, and hundreds more considered at risk of homelessness;
• In any given month, more than 400 people in the region are actively looking for subsidized housing through the Community Housing Registry, more than half of whom are homeless or about to be;
• Those people who are actively looking are for the most part spending more than half of their monthly income on housing;
• The welfare rates of $510 per month for single adults have not been increased since 1991, and rates for families have not kept up with the rate of inflation;
• The only housing available for $325 per month is in rooming houses/residential hotels; and
• It is difficult for landlords relaying on rents at current welfare rates to adequately maintain their buildings, including SRO hotels.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Council requests that the Mayor be asked to seek a meeting with the Premier and Cabinet Ministers to discuss the issue of welfare rates, and work with them toward addressing this problem.

Carried

Our thanks go to the Vancouver Island Public Interest Research Group (VIPIRG) and Victoria's Downtown Service Providers for their help in making this happen.

Find out how to get your city council to pass a similar motion