Homelessness under study

By Dan Hilborn
Published July 27, 2005


A six-month research project that is looking into the root causes behind a 135-per-cent increase in homelessness in Burnaby over the past four years is discovering that there's no one simple or single reason why a person might live on the streets.

Jennifer Brubacher, the homeless outreach worker hired by the City of Burnaby and Fraser Health Authority earlier this year, said she is discovering that each homeless person she meets has a unique story.

"People, I think, are generally just one paycheque away, and once you've been evicted and on the street, it's kind of hard in our social welfare system these days to pick yourself up and pull yourself back together," Brubacher told the Burnaby NOW last week.

"That, I think, is the most common thread.

"Once you're on the street and learn to manoeuvre, you become street-entrenched and then it's hard to get out. It becomes a new uncomfortable comfort zone and then, as time goes on and more doors are slammed in your face, you lose hope."

Brubacher, who is trying to interview as many homeless people as she can find, is now halfway through her research project.

When the data collection is complete, the information will be forwarded to the firm Jim Woodward and Associates, which will conduct a "gap analysis" and needs assessment report that will be forwarded to the Burnaby Homelessness Task Force.

Earlier this year, the Greater Vancouver regional steering committee on homelessness found a total of 40 people who identified themselves as Burnaby residents living on Lower Mainland streets. That compares with just 17 homeless people identified as Burnaby residents during a similar project in 2002. Overall, the report found 2,112 homeless people in the region, up 101 per cent from the 1,049 people found three years previously.

The report also states that more than 126,000 people in 56,000 households across the Lower Mainland are 'at risk' of becoming homeless.

Brubacher, who works for the Progressive Housing Society, is now in the process of talking to as many homeless people in Burnaby as she can find in an effort to make recommendations on what kinds of services are needed.

Last month, New Westminster city councillor Jerry Dobrovolny criticized Burnaby city council for its lack of services for the homeless.

"I think it's absolutely atrocious that Burnaby has 10 per cent of the (homeless) population and one per cent of the beds," he said.

Brubacher said the hiring of a permanent homeless outreach worker would be a good first step towards providing the necessary services because many homeless people are simply looking for a sign of hope.

"The level of hope probably varies with how long they've been on the street, and I'm finding most people have been out there for more than one year - over winter, over summer, all four seasons," she said.

"They're not very hopeful. I would think it would take something like an outreach worker to make them aware of services that are available and help them realize that life does not just stop once you're on the street. With some effort and some time, they can pull themselves off the street, but they need proper services, of course."

Brubacher said many of Burnaby's homeless are men who simply can't cope after the breakup of their marriages or people who have drug or alcohol addictions, but there are exceptions. In one case, she found a 10-year-old boy wandering the streets after his parents didn't come home.

Brubacher also said that much of the evidence she's seen indicates that the actual numbers are even higher than in the official count.

Brubacher expects to finish her research by the end of September but is still looking for as many homeless people in Burnaby as she can find. Anyone who knows where a homeless person might be staying is asked to contact her at Progressive Housing, 604-522-9669, ext. 317.