Homeless move to Sooke from Victoria for safety, survey hears

An expanded survey of homelessness in Greater Victoria has found at least 38 people without a home in the semi-rural community of Sooke.

For the first time, the 2018 Greater Victoria Point in Time count, conducted March 15, surveyed Sooke residents at the local crisis centre, food bank and legion.

Sooke Mayor Maja Tait said that while many of the homeless are long-term Sooke residents, she has heard that some came to the community of 13,000 because it seemed saferthan the streets of Victoria.

"I have heard that," Tait said. "I've also heard from a few individuals directly that were from Sooke and went into the core to access services and then felt unsafe and they returned to our community."

While it might seem safer, Sooke currently lacks services found in the city.

The only outreach centre, the Crisis and Referral Centre, operates three hours a dayfrom Monday to Friday, althoughseveral churches provide breakfasts and lunches for people in need.

There is currently no overnight shelter space.

Tait was surprised to discover the emergency extreme weather shelter, located in a church outside the town centre, did not open at all this past winter.

"That's a concern to me," she said.

Tenting on unused land

Tait said she hopes the study will help identify the needs for homeless shelter space and other local services.

The mayor said she's been told people are surviving by makingtheir ownshelter in tents on large tracts of land around the community, by couch-surfing with friends or staying in derelict houses.

HomelessSookeresident Paul Drakesaidthe numbersin the Point in Time don't reflect everyonebecause some people chose not to participate in the survey.

"They didn't want people to know they're homeless," Drake said.

An earlier examination of Sooke's youth homelessness resulted in development of the Sooke Hope Centre by the non-profit M'akola Housing Societies and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. In 2014, itopened 25 affordable bachelor units for young adults people aged 19 to 31.

Additional affordable housing proposals before councilinclude another 42-unit affordable rental project.

With files from CHEK News and CBC Radio's On the Island with GregorCraigie.