Short and Long Term Solutions

North Park Neighbourhood Association

Report from the Safety Forum on March 14, 2007

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Introduction from the President: <= /p>

On March 14, 2007, the North Park Neighbourhood Association (NPNA) held an open community forum to provide ne= ighbours with an opportunity to voice not only their concerns about, but also their ideas for solutions to the issues of crime and drug use in our community. The forum was set up as a “t= own hall” style of meeting where neighbours could share their experiences= in a non-confrontational setting. It built on an initial panel on safety issues that the NPNA held at our Annual General Meeting in October of 2006, where Inspector John Ducker of the Vict= oria Police, Katrina Jensen of AIDS Vancouver Island, and Mayor Alan Lowe spoke = to our members about these important issues.&= nbsp; In October, the community had the chance to hear from representative= s of government, law enforcement, and social services. Now, I am pleased to bring forward= this report so that these organizations can hear the voice of the community. We have summarized the solutions suggested in our forum, and have attached the written minutes in Appendix I= .

Our forum was a great success. Overall, 87 people attended and ma= ny got up to speak, sharing their experiences, posing questions, and offering solutions for consideration. = Above all, one sentiment is clear: the community is not apathetic toward our less fortunate members. In fact, t= he opposite is true. We heard fr= om many members of North Park whose own liv= es have been touched by addiction, homelessness, and poverty, either through t= heir personal experiences or through watching a family member suffer. Our community is compassion= ate and caring, and our neighbours want to respond with empathy and understandi= ng. However, after years of tryi= ng to handle with grace the considerable negative effects that drug use and relat= ed problems have caused in their own backyards, with seemingly no effective response from any level of government or any social service, the community = is tired, demoralized, and angry.

We hope that as you read this docum= ent, you take the time to imagine what it would be like for you to experience wh= at our neighbours have experienced here in their homes, the place where they o= ught to feel safe and secure. Imag= ine working hard all day and having to come home to a neighbourhood where shout= ing, break-ins, and visits from the police are regular occurrences in the middle= of the night. Imagine trying to = get to work in the morning only discover discarded needles have been pushed into y= our car tires, puncturing them, or that your car has been broken into or vandalized. Imagine pouring y= our savings into the investment of your home only to find yourself cleaning fec= es off your patio or being told the only solution available to you is putting = bars on your window, forever changing the way you see the world outside.

Take a moment to think about where = you live – then try to imagine what it would be like to live without a guarantee to your right to private ownership, security, and enjoyment, the = way that our community has been living.

North Park is a beautiful, lively, and diverse neighbourhood. We have much to offer our communit= y and our city as a whole. It has b= een devastating for me to hear our disheartened and disgraced our neighbours fe= el due to the lack of tangible, lasting change addressing these issues. More than anything, the community = is searching for direction on how they should respond to the increasing issues= of poverty, homelessness, and drug use in our society. It is our fervent hope that the Ci= ty will hear how desperately we, your citizens, need a change, and that you wi= ll take the initiative to become a leader in addressing these issues, both now= and in the long term. We call on = you to make a difference in our community, and to take a stand for lasting, sustainable improvements to the issues of safety and security for all our neighbours.

We look forward to your response. <= o:p>

Yours most sincerely,

Kristin Atwood, President<= /o:p>

North Park Neighbourhood Association

Victoria, BC

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Results of the Forum:

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Short and Long Term Solutions<= /p>

From our forum on drug use we have been able to develop a list of short and long term solutions as suggested by our community members. These solutions are not listed in any ranked order. Not all the solutions t= hat were brought up at the forum have been included here; instead we have focus= ed on the ones that we believe the are within the jurisdiction of the City of Vi= ctoria and can therefore be implemented through municipal authority.

Short Te= rm Solutions

CPTED Re= view – Crime prevention through environmental design has been used for man= y years and it is proven to lower crime by creating an environment that is not conducive to criminal activity. In our neighbourhood CPTED would include lighting, sidewalks, plants, walls and possibly other pieces of the physical environment.

Increased lighting in particular can have a dramatic eff= ect on the willingness of people to engage in criminal activity and in addition those that continue to can be easily observed by law enforcement. The improvement of sidewalks, particularly in the Cormorant, Amelia and Mason Street Area would have a positive impact as it would encourage residents to walk through the area more often. Increasing community use and travel throu= gh an area can reduce the level of criminal activity as those that are partaki= ng in such activities try to avoid busier streets.

Private property owners need to be well aware that certa= in types of plants and walls can be used to hide drugs or act as a location for the use of drugs. With direct= ion, simple changes to landscaping that preserve the atmosphere and green space = of a property while reducing the likelihood of drug addicts using the space for illicit activity.

All of these pieces can be encompassed in a CPTED review. The NPNA expects the City to commit to completing a CPTED Review of our nei= ghbourhood within this fiscal year. Both the Ministry of Health and VIHA should be par= tner funders of this review. Residents and business owners should be able to contribute to the dialogue as the review proceeds. This review should include the are= a between Pandora Street and North Park Street, and between Blanshard Street and Cook Street (see map below).

Block Wa= tch – There is an active block watch program in North Park= . Well used block watch organizations have been shown to decrease criminal ac= tivity in an area. We would like the city to help promote the active block watch organization. Some ways of doing this may be through the media, through a m= ail out to the community or possibly through presentations by City of Victoria Police.<= o:p>

Needle c= lean-up – While the NPNA acknowledges that the current needle exchange takes in more needles than it gives out, our neighbourhood is still plagued with the refu= se from intravenous drug users. The city has continually attempted to download= the clean-up of this problem to non-profits and to private property owners. The association wants a commitment from the City to find a solution to this problem. In addition, the current clean up area needs to be expanded to inc= lude east to Cook Street and north to Caledonia Str= eet.

Increase= use of mobile exchange – The City of Victoria does currently have a mobile n= eedle exchange. Many residents at the forum suggested that a mobile exchange shou= ld be developed for the city. Since one already exists it would be a good idea= to both promote the existence of this exchange as well as increase funding to this exchange to lower to usage of the Cormorant Street site.&= nbsp;

Encourage residents to write letters – The city will need the partnership of other levels of government to find solutions to this problem. The city should work with its citizens in a letter writing campaign to both= the Province and the Federal Government to get them to input their fair share. = The city could encourage this through the media and their website. There is the possibility of a city drafted form letter with the addresses of those people that citizens could contact at both levels of government.

Long Term Solutions

We are proposing four main long term solutions to this i= ssue in our neighbourhood. We realize that the City alone cannot solve this prob= lem and we would like to work with the City in a concerted effort to lobby all levels of government&n= bsp; on these issues:

- = Lobby all levels of government on t= he location of safe injection / needle exchange

- = Lobby government on abstinence and = drug recovery program funding

- = Lobby government on criminal offence enforcement

- = Lobby government to build affordable housing

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Other City Initiatives

In addition to the ideas proposed above, the North Park Neighbourhoo= d Association asks the city to hold a City wide forum on drug use in our downtown core and border areas. We recognize that this issue touches far more then just North Park and ideas and solidarity from all of Victoria’s citizens is required.= We believe that it is time f= or such initiatives to come from the city rather than from the community associations, so that these discussions can be supported by the resources of our municipal government. In = the lead up to this forum our Association wants to present this report to the c= ity at a Council Meeting as an Agenda item with our key initiatives as decision items for our council members.

Appendix I - Forum Minutes

Residents / Business Owners

Danielle Topliss – On behalf of Stewart Johnson

– = current<= /span> location of needle exchange inappropriate for residents and users.

– = Noted that AVI serves clients other than IV drug users whose needs must also be considered

– = How are they going to move it?=

– = Suggestion that all people present = at meeting tonight should write letters to government.

– = Affordable housing services are not available.

– = We need to move the exchange but the city needs to move it to where the users are.

Jonathan – address unknown<= /span>

§ Needle exchange is a band-aid solut= ion and so is just moving it

§ Need affordable housing/ access to housing

§ Need to address what is driving peo= ple to drug addiction

Dali - = North Park Street Resident

– = the reality of the situation is police are just like us. They do not want to put themselves in danger.

– = Putting people in jail just ends up= costing us more money – “a parallel welfare system”

– = Main dealers are not being targeted. There are Hell's Angels in North Park.

– = Police work hard to arrest people a= nd the justice department doesn't have the ability to keep these people in jai= l.

Iain – Fisgard Street Resident

– = We want the trouble out of our neighbourhood.

– = We need to work on concept of safe injection site, so it’s controlled, hygienic, under medical supervisi= on to reduce the spread of AIDS

– = There is not enough room for even current services at present site. We need same system that they have in Amsterdam or Vancouver.

– &= nbsp; High police enforcement does not wo= rk

– = We need to encourage business into = the neighbourhood, gentrify it, property values will go up. <= /p>

– = People currently feel threatened.

– = Again emphasize the need for a safe injection site.

Leagh – Fisgard Street Resident

– = The neighbourhood is deteriorating.=

– = “We’re reacting to a problem that we should not have”

– = I need to have someone open a door = just to get into my house.

– = Solution: Put the needle exchange o= n a bus and move it though out town during the day.

– = Reality is that there is a question whether needle exchange is doing anything.

– = Need to promote abstinence and prosecute users as well.

– = Mother will not even come into the neighbourhood – “I have an 87 year old mother who will not come into the neighbourhood because she was accosted at my front door at 2 o’clock in the afternoon”

– = A young couple with a bike were in = the building.

– = Doesn't like looking out and seeing barb wire.

– = Need to address the core issues of poverty

Gary= – North Park Street<= /st1:address> Resident

– = SOLID (Society of Living Intravenous Drug-users) picks up the needles in the neighbourhood.

– = Also picks up needles. Sometimes th= ere are needles in cars that are left open.

– = Problem of children finding needles= in the neighbourhood.

– = Clean-up needs to be done on a bloc= k by block basis with more volunteers going out and picking them up, or at least picking them up when they see them.

– = One day say a person put 500 needle= s on the counter.

– = No humanity in letting people die.<= o:p>

– = Each person on the street has a different reason for being there.

– = Need representation from addict gro= ups and more participation from them in solutions

Tammy - Mason Street Resident

– = Writing letters is good and am enco= uraged by this night.

– = Still frustrated by the lack of answers.

– = Kicks any needles she sees into the street.

– = Irony of living there: the activity= is right in front of the Ministry of Health

– = Her condo was her first home purcha= se and she now regrets it

– = Lost compassion and really torn, starting to just “want the issue out of my backyard and starting to n= ot care anymore”

– = Feels sad for the addicts because there’s no support for them and feels helpless

– = “I want this neighbourhood to feel vibrant. I want to walk = the streets and feel safe. I̵= 7;m a single woman and I put bars on my windows.= We had police come talk to us and they told us to put up barbed wire= . I don’t want to look at that.”

Sue – Fisgard Street Resident

– = “I can’t help but feel = that we should not be here tonight, we should be somewhere bigger because this is not all of North Park”

– = Was not going to come tonight but realized how important it is.

– = Please when you leave tonight think= of three neighbours and share what was said tonight with them.

– = We are a neighbourhood that needs to come together.

– = When she moved here 8 years ago the= re were no gates, now half of Fisgard has gates. That gets her attention.=

– = At first the ambulances came for seniors now they come for drug users.

– = Has seen a dozen cops pulling people out of corners.

– = “No one will make me leave my neighbourhood”

– = “This is not the neighbourhoo= d I envisioned living in, but this is my neighbourhood”=

– = “I have no power but I have a responsibility. I have to keep checking my compassion meter.”

– = “I have a responsibility R= 11; as much as any politician, law enforcement officer, or person of power R= 11; to you, to myself, and to the community, to tell the truth about what’= ;s going on.”

– = Lost all members of family to addic= tion and suicide.

– = “I’m aware of these iss= ues and the pains that go with it, but I’m afraid I’m getting cold because I don’t like getting accosted on the street”=

– = Now has a mean look when going to volunteer.

– = Is vulnerable but has never had a issue.

– = Our community needs support and sup= port can come from our community.

Maxine - North Park Street Resident

– = Emotional issue for her- had three = kids that were addicts. 2 have been saved and is now working with the people in = this neighbourhood.

– = “These addicts are people. They belong to somebody’s fa= mily. They belong to people who have giv= en up on them, but I don’t think we should give up on them, even if they’re not ours.”

– = This is supposed to be the best cou= ntry in the world?!

Don - Caledonia Street Resident

– = Problem has been getting worse over= the last 5 years.

– = “Please write your letters= 221;

– = Need to start at the top and work d= own and start at the bottom and work up – “work the problem like a sandwich”

– = Have gone through half a dozen break ins and his girlfriend is afraid to go out after 6pm

– = Hard to have compassion when someon= e is using your parking lot as a urinal

– = Get spotlights to get them out of o= ur neighbourhood.

– = Call the cops every time to create pressure

Elsie - North Park Street Resident

– = Don't sit back, use your voice, encourage people around you to speak up.

Paul – North Park Street Resident

– = We have to do something, we need to= !

– = “We have to do something or we’re going to be here next year”

– = Tired of coming down to the parking garage to find car broken into.

– = Maybe all the buildings could get t= ogether and start moving people along with private security.

– = Is worried about kids in the neighbourhood.

– = “they [addicts] need help but= we need help too”

– = “I don’t want to look l= ike a big mean guy but we have to get the ball rolling”=

– = The people want a solution and the government will not do anything.

– = “Let someone else deal with them.”

Isabel - Cormorant Street Resident

– = Has a story – came into build= ing about noon, went into elevator and there was another person that stunk (“the smell was nauseating”) and she could not get out.

– = “I thought, do I say somethin= g to him? Do I ignore him? He was quite dopey and stunned loo= king. I asked if he slept here last night. And I thought, what do= es he have? Does he have a knife?&#= 8221;

– = She did not know how they got into = the building. Apparently had slept in the stairwell. Cleaning lady had seen them and woke him, that is how he got into the elevator.

– = “A very, very frightening experience”

– = Compassion is leaving.

– = Just look at the steps of the BCAA.=

– = Police are cooperative.<= /span>

Keyvan Shojanja – Windsor Law Group

– = Important point is that AVI wants to move and he plans to help them move to a more appropriate location.

– = Encourages everyone to write letters but also need to aware of political buck passing. Federal -> provincial = -> municipal.

– = VIHA is conspicuous in their absence from the discussion. This issue needs their focus and they are in Ministry = of Health right next door.

– = “I think this is a good neighbourhood. It is not a po= or neighbourhood. This is NOT ea= st Vancouver.”

– = People are going to get hurt one af= ter another.

– = Strata's could get together to hire security and police are more likely to attend if a security guard is calling them. Is willing to be the point of contact for organizing this.

– = Also Police should be called for ev= ery incident and people need to be vigilant of their own properties including churches. We need zero tolerance. “If we let it known that it is not tolerated, people will move along.”

– = Call the police and if these people= are not tolerated they will have to get off of drugs.

Herb - Nor= th Park Street Resident

– = been in Victoria for a number of ye= ars.

– = There are people injecting drugs in courtyards.

– = The city has the money to fund this. They could use money from parking tickets on drug use.

– = There are sources for low rental putting them in a controlled environment.

– = Give people a choice of stiffer penalties or treatment – NY and Vancouver are doing this.<= /span>

– = Can’t just put a drug addict = in a three week treatment program and then put them right back where they came f= rom

– = We all need to work on this Victori= a, BC and Canada.

Christine – Quadra Street Resident

– = works on front lines with addicted = and homeless

– = We need a safe injection site and affordable housing.

– = A lot of the fear surrounding this issue comes from the media; maybe this needs to be examined.

– = “Personally I am not afraid to walk down the street”

– = We need to address our fear to see = the reality

Kim – Pembroke Street Resident

– = works early and is often out at 3 am sees people checking car doors, people in large groups.

– = Sees them “moving in packs= 221; and finds it intimidating, and he’s “not a small guy”

– = Likes the security idea.=

– = Has put in security system and R= 20;I feel like I’m the one in jail.”

– = Need to have someone to pick up needles.

Andrew Rafuse – Windsor Law Group

– = number of needles is getting bigger. Organizations are cleaning them up but need more people doing it.

– = Idea of returning needles for money though private sector as the non-profit is not getting job done.=

– = Returning needles for money gives people an incentive.

Thelma – North Park Resident

– = What is wrong with this picture, a = ship owned by Paul Martin was found loaded with Cocaine. Nothing was ever said or done.

– = Integrity – our society as a whole is sick. “I can't see picking on people who are on the lowest e= nd of the spectrum, the people who are absolutely broken.”

– = We can do this, we have the money.<= o:p>

– = Be responsible, you don't give them liquor. We as a society have to think, what is success?

– = Should be an element of personal responsibility, though – need to start holding addicts accountable

– = We need a spiritual foundation R= 11; where is the representation from the churches?

– = Love is the answer and how you get there from here.

Diane – North Park Resident

– = not just a drug problem but a homel= ess problem.

– = Lighting is poor throughout the neighbourhood.

– = There are people screaming at each other throughout the night.

– = There are people passed out everywh= ere in the neighbourhood; they sleep in parks, churches, doorways

– = If the lighting was brighter they m= ight not congregate in these areas

Barb – North Park Resident (apartment manager)

– = has seen this issue from both sides. Used to give advice to drug addicts and used to write policy.

– = Need more resources

– = We need to say we want our tax doll= ars to go to these people/ care homes.

– = Building security is important. Lighting is extremely important. Their building has spent $10,000 on lighti= ng in the last year and it has really helped – people aren’t hangi= ng out at all hours of the night or sleeping in the doorway<= /p>

– = Like the idea of security funded by stratas.

– = Talked to Prices and the rates are = not that much.

– = Not concerned by the needles but ra= ther where they are getting their drugs.

Cameron – North Park Street Resident

– = Moved into neighbourhood in 1996. S= ince then it has completely changed. Has no compassion left but the issue still needs to be addressed.

– = “We aren’t without compassion in this neighbourhood, but you have to ask if it’s easier = to be compassionate than to take a stand” [i.e. requiring personal accountability from addicts to get help]

– = Witnessed an assault in the doorway= of a church

– = Wife was walking to work and had to walk past someone urinating in public

– = Telling the city that they have to = do something. Everything from assaults, drug addicts, public urination has a mental toll on the residents.

– = The elderly feel that they are at r= isk.

– = There have been new steps at their building to make sure it is safe including new shrubbery, ensuring needle pick-up.

– = When you’re dealing with some= one who will leave feces and urine on a church doorstep you dealing with people= who aren’t in their right mind.

Andy – North Park Resident

– = just moved to the neighbourhood had people injecting drugs outside parkade gate and has almost stepped on needl= es.

– = What specific roots

– = paradigm we live in includes a lack= of affordable housing, especially for the hard-to-house and no addiction treatment.

– = Need people to lobby to get this on= the government agenda.

– = Need lots of groups to pressure gov= ernment and this will require organization

– = “It’s not going to go away. It’s not going to= get out of the neighbourhood.”

Jin – Fisgard Street Business (Alternative Health Store)

– = works in Chinese medicine moved here two years ago.

– = Thought Victoria was a beautiful ci= ty.

– = There are a lot of drug users and homeless. This is the darker side of the city: “the very beautiful fa= ce hides a darker reality”

– = People who use drugs don’t ca= re about their health

– = The stress of dealing with these is= sues is bad for our health

– = A lot of drug addicts want to chang= e, but they need to do some work to make it happen

– = People have to be careful to keep t= heir children away from drug users and from needles.

Sharon – Caledonia Street Resident

– = I don't feel safe walking our stree= ts at night any longer. There are too many incidents where I have had friends attacked.

– = People who are turned away by the Sobering Centre and do not have another place to go wander back into t= he neighbourhood looking for a place to sleep or for some easy money to get. We have experienced a lot of petty theft. Most of our cars now are alarmed.

– = I always look around our grass area= out front for needles before the dogs or people find them.

– = Last year we found 30 needles in our garden when we cut the bushes back.

– = It is even scary to go down to our parkade at night as people who need a place to stay park themselves there f= or the evening. They don't leave when we ask them and don't care when we say we are going to call the police because they know the police will not come.

– = can't put a nice planter or chair o= ut on our porch as it will be stolen.

– = I always have to have safety in min= d in our neighbourhood.

– = I want to be proud of our neighbourhood.

– = Our immediate solution for our condominium complex was to put a high fence and gate up which kept away mos= t of the people who were wanting to shoot up in our yard; put extra locks on our windows and alarm our cars.

– = I really don't know what the long t= erm answer is, but do know all of us, including all levels of government, = have to pull together to help solve the problem of homelessness and our ser= ious shortage of services and beds for drug rehabilitation and counselling servi= ces.

Representatives of NGOs or Political Parties<= /span>

Rob Fleming – MLA

– = “It’s very frustrating = to be back here talking about these issues”

– = There is a powerful coalition of people, AVI, Police, city but they still are not getting the resources they need.

– = We are not doing enough of the right things and we continue to do some of the wrong things.

– = Director of the Archie Courtnall Ce= ntre has resigned over this issue

– = There is a large addicted populatio= n.

– = If you can’t take the addict = out of their situation they will go right back.

– = Economy is booming but there is a growing underclass - in 1999 = the homeless count was around 100; now there are 700-800 homeless on the streets every night

– = Needle exchange gave out 1 million needles last year and received 1 million 1 hundred thousand back.

– = AVI is resource-starved and canR= 17;t do the job of offering the services they need to

– = We need to be lobbying with the provincial and federal governments

– = Prime Minister is thinking about not refunding Vancouver site despite support from City of Vancouver and even the Chinatown Business Community.

– = Mayor Alan Lowe has been asking for= the last five years to allow a safe injection site in Victoria and has been den= ied

– = When the 6-bed crystal meth facility opened, it almost immediately had a waitlist, which currently has 175 names= on it

Ricki – Human Rights Activist

– = Helping people get off the street through DOS office. It’s a “revolving door with not enough options” – one person can have a place in the services only if someone else leaves<= /span>

– = There are many problems with housin= g, we need more and some is in bad condition.

– = She is not getting desensitized to = the problem, though she has to ask “do I have enough compassion at the en= d of the day?”

– = When you meet these people you real= ize that they are people too. This is aberrant behaviour.

– = Can't believe people think they sho= uld just go and die.

– = Believes that “when you start= to meet the human beings behind the needles” you realize “there’s not much room for dignity or cleaning up after themselves”

Andrea Langlois – AVI

– = works in the neighbourhood

– = they are working on moving the exch= ange.

– = AVI is struggling to address these challenge and knows that it’s not an appropriate location<= /span>

– = When they moved here there was less residential.

– = It should be noted that only a small proportion of needles don't come back – they have a 97% return rate – what we find in the neighbourhood is a very small percentage of what’s out there

– = People are out every day cleaning up the needles (volunteers)

– = They are trying to move the exchange and are working on a Good Neighbour Protocol as well. This is just one piec= e of the puzzle.

– = Only the Needle Exchange will be moving.

– = “We need to come together as a community to address a problem that belongs to the whole community.”<= o:p>