Tanara Oliveira/News Staff
Residents, police and politicians on the West Shore have all taken notice of a rise in the number of people who are unhoused, particularly around Danbrook Park.
Some locals claim there’s been a shift of the homeless population from downtown Victoria to Langford and that it’s having a negative impact on the community.
Some of them spoke before Langford council at an Aug. 21 meeting asking for action to deal with the situation.
While the exact causes have stirred passionate debate within the community, one fact is clear: the majority of residents are urging authorities to take action due to a surge in violence, drug activity and overall insecurity in the area.
The West Shore RCMP said its members have seen a steady increase in the unhoused population since the beginning of the year.
“One prominent location is Danbrook Park in Langford. Our frontline and bike patrol officers routinely work with Langford city bylaw officers to attend Danbrook Park to ensure compliance with bylaws,” said Cpl. Nancy Saggar from West Shore RCMP.
“This location has been designated by the city as public space that unhoused individuals can use for overnight accommodations.
“From May 2023 to August 2023, we have been called – or attended and generated a subsequent investigation – 63 times in relation to persons within the park. Police attendances to the park began in 2019, and have steadily increased, totalling around 162 as of today Aug. 10, 2023.”
This number does not include the numerous proactive patrols the RCMP does in this area and throughout the West Shore, nor does it encompass the total number of investigations involving unhoused individuals on the West Shore.
Why the streets?
The reasons that lead people to become unhoused are wide-ranging.
Dylan Fraser, 27, has been living on the streets for seven months.
“I lost my father last year and after that, I couldn’t get back on my feet. I started using drugs, my mother threw me out of the house, I lost my job and now I’m here.”
He used to stay on the streets in downtown Victoria but, for the last four months, he’s been here on the West Shore. When asked why he came to West Shore, Fraser pointed to two main reasons.
“Downtown is where my mother lives and I didn’t want her to run the risk of seeing me on the streets, in this situation,” he said. “Also, some acquaintances started coming to Langford because they didn’t like the (police) reinforcement in downtown. So, I took advantage and came along.”
Fraser said that when he arrived on the West Shore, policing wasn’t as strong as it is now.
“When we arrived, it was better because there wasn’t as much reinforcement. Now they’re higher up, which makes it difficult for us to always stay in one place. I have to constantly walk around or get kicked out of places.”
Despite the bleak situation, Fraser is open to trying to change his life and considers the shelters to be essential.
“I don’t know how to get back on my feet and I don’t think I’m ready to seek government help yet,” he said. “But I think that having shelters for those in this situation so that we can have a place to at least spend the night, is already a good starting point. It would give us at least some humanity as most of the time we are treated like trash.”
Residents want to feel safe
Langford residents consistently express their fears about safety to council, emphasizing that these concerns aren’t limited to just the evening hours. They extend throughout the entire day, whether it’s while walking their children to school or when visiting the off-leash area at Danbrook Park with their pets.
Leonardo Rezende, 39, lives with his family in Langford and finds the unhoused situation troublesome.
“I have a nine-year-old daughter and it’s difficult to have the freedom to do things with her on foot, like going to a park, because many of them stay in the parks,” Rezende said. “Since we arrived, I’ve noticed a sharp increase in homeless people, and I think the first step is for the government to look at them more carefully and provide more affordable homes to house at least those who are on the streets because they can’t afford their own home. Then, the ideal would be to invest more in public health, for those who are in this condition because of mental or drug issues. In any case, something needs to be done to keep us safe.”
Even in a thorough community homeless count, many individuals at risk of becoming unhoused often go unnoticed. Factors like increasing rent, inflation and growing mental health challenges make this situation even worse. Langford’s 2021 Housing Needs Report revealed that the median rent doubled between 2008 and 2018.
“It’s a sad situation that needs attention from the government because society is already on alert. It’s as much about housing as it is about public health and also about better reinforcement through public security,” said Rezende.
READ MORE: LETTER: Danbrook Park homeless issue a symptom of a larger problem
