This week, another round of “education and enforcement” of Victoria’s sheltering bylaws were carried out on Pandora Avenue, but this time fencing was erected to deter future sheltering.
Much of the 900-block of Pandora Avenue has now had its boulevards fenced off with more to come, according to the City.
This endeavour has displaced the people who were unlawfully sheltering on the boulevard sections of Pandora, and is part of the City and VicPD’s ‘Pandora and Ellice Safety Plan’.
According to Colleen Mycroft, Manager of Intergovernmental and Media Relations with the City, the fencing has cost Victoria around $7,000 thus far, and there is still more area to fence off.
The City would not clarify what the total cost of this fencing is projected to be, or how much it will cost as an ongoing initiative to deter sheltering.
Mycroft told Victoria Buzz that this fencing would remain in place for the foreseeable future.
The fencing company hired by the City is the Super Save Group of Companies, who provide rentals for events, construction projects and other endeavours.
Since their fencing was installed on Pandora Avenue, their Google review rating has dropped from a 2.7 to a 2.0, with reviewers leaving one-star ratings and openly expressing upset regarding their contribution to displacing unhoused people.
“supplying [sic] the city of victoria with fences to displace unhoused folks seeking shelter is not a good look. very [sic] disturbed by this,” wrote one reviewer.
Another review reads, “didn’t know this had to be stated but profiting off of displacing unhoused people is unethical.”
Victoria Buzz reached out to the Super Save Group of Companies for a more comprehensive breakdown of what the fencing may cost the City and a response to their negative reviews, but as of this publication, they were unable to provide a comment on these matters.
Related:
- Unhoused people in Victoria left with only three parks for overnight sheltering
- Victoria mayor supports VicPD’s plan to remove encampments from Pandora Avenue
As of early August, BC Housing told Victoria Buzz, there were 305 shelter spaces and 1,267 supportive housing units in operation in Victoria; however, most were at or near capacity.
Since that time, Our Place Society has opened 40 more temporary shelter spaces and the City has opened additional shelter spaces through HEART and HEARTH initiatives, with another location on Dowler Place soon to provide spaces as well.
Recently, the City of Victoria has banned overnight sheltering in additional parks, leaving only three for unhoused individuals to shelter in—Gonzales, Pemberton and Oaklands Parks.
According to the latest Greater Victoria Point-in-Time count, there are at least 1,665 individuals experiencing homelessness in the area.
