Are lower homeless numbers the excuse the Province is looking for?

Scenes like this were apparently not as prevalent during the City of Vancouver's homeless count yesterday.

The preliminary and anecdotal response from Mayor Gregor Robertson on yesterday’s homeless count was that “[t]here were not very many people sleeping outside where we were.”

So on one side of the political equation, this is good for short term vindication of the shelter strategy.  And although the Mayor is most definitely aware that the HEAT shelters are by no means a long-term solution, he can take solace in the fact that he has at least for the short term got people under a roof and off of the the streets.

My concern, however, is the justification this might hand the provincial government for backing away from future housing-related funding.

As it stands, the province contributes $4 million annually to keep the these shelters open.  Things are currently in limbo with Housing Minister Rich Coleman currently silent on the issue, althought have been extensions made to the funding twice in the past, as this article points out.

So maybe they say “OK, we’ll continue to kick in the $4 million” while at the same time saying that there is no more funding for housing, and that they have gone as far as they are prepared to go.

Where does that leave the City of Vancouver moving forward?  Alone, and in dire need of some funding partners.

It is going to be interesting to see what the first-line response in regards to the shelter funding will be from Coleman.

But it is going to be even more interesting to see whether the $4 million extension – if and when it comes – turns into the parting kiss off from the province to the City of Vancouver.

It is time for the Mayor to order a staff report to answer the question I put forward on Monday.  Namely:

“What is stopping Mayor Gregor Robertson from saying “If the provincial and federal governments are not going to step up the plate, then it is time for the City of Vancouver to take matter into our own hands and begin to partner with housing non-profits and private developers to get more affordable and social housing into the city.”

It is time to start preparing for the next stage of the agenda, and no matter how much it might ruffle some of the behind-the-scenes powers that be within City Hall, this is something that needs to be carefully looked into.

Quite frankly, it might be the Mayor’s only hope of making significant progress on the largest articulated goal of his term in office.