One of the key components of the electoral platform I and Vision Vancouver presented to citizens made a commitment to end street homelessness by 2015.  No one should be forced to sleep on the streets, in parks, or on the sidewalk, and the political will to tackle such a problem can no longer be ignored at the municipal level.
 
To have any chance at properly gauging the success and failure of our efforts, understanding the depth of the problem is essential.   The Greater Vancouver Regional Steering Committee on Homelessness has conducted the Metro Vancouver Homeless Count across the region since 2000, and while it has been a useful tool, the infrequency of occurring only once every three years prompted a new strategy.
 
On March 23rd, over 300 volunteers carried out a survey within the City of Vancouver, and discovered that there were 428 people found living on the streets versus the 811 discovered on the streets in 2008 - a nearly fifty per cent drop.
The survey found that the number of people staying in shelters has risen 74 per cent, from 765 in 2008 to 1334 in 2010.  This can be directly credited to the seven emergency shelters opened over the past year and a half.  In partnership with the BC government, funding has now been secured to extend three of these emergency shelters until at least 2013.
Shelters are by no means the answer to getting people off the streets, and as such, I and City Council are continuing to look for longer term solutions to house the homeless.  We need thousands of units of housing in the next several years and that means being creative and finding more partners to make that dream a reality.
Ensuring that housing is available to all Vancouverites is a worthy goal that when successful, will enrich our city through equity, compassion and accessibility for all.