Whereas the Province of BC is experiencing a housing crisis and the number of unhoused individuals is increasing; And whereas municipalities and regional districts have adopted certain bylaws that prohibit encampments within the municipal or regional district boundary, yet these bylaws cannot be enforced when the homeless encampments are on provincial land; And whereas some of these homeless encampments on provincial land are on the sides of roads and highways, and therefore fall under the purview of Provincial ministries: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM lobby the Province for a single Provincial ministry to be appointed to address homelessness encampments within all Crown jurisdiction lands.
Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs The Province is committed to working with partners across all levels of governments to coordinate services and housing to address homelessness through the priorities identified in Belonging in BC, the provincial framework for preventing and responding to experiences of homelessness. As part of this commitment, the Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs has a mandate to support encampment response coordination across provincial ministries. The Homeless Encampment Action Response Team HEART and the Homeless Encampment Action Response Temporary Housing HEARTH programs are an integral part of Belonging in BC to prioritize encampment response in priority communities with dedicated resources. HEART delivers integrated supports and services to people sheltering in encampments in collaboration with multiple ministries and agencies; HEARTH focuses on rapidly deploying shelter and temporary housing options as interim solutions while permanent housing options are underway. Belonging in BC also prioritizes long-term system transformation initiatives in partnership with local communities, the federal government, and BC Housing. To better match individuals with suitable shelter and housing and integrate service delivery and outreach, the Province is working to support more integrated local governance and broader coordination of services, including work to ensure data-driven approaches locally and provincially.