Victoria has recently come under unwanted national scrutiny following two Globe and Mail articles that labelled Pandora Avenue the 鈥渆picentre of a nationwide opioid crisis,鈥� warning the epidemic could engulf the city鈥檚 downtown core.
Describing the street as an 鈥渙pen-air drug market,鈥� the coverage sparked strong reactions from leaders and residents, with some challenging this narrative.
B.C. Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon acknowledged the crisis but offered a different perspective in an interview with Black Press Media. He said the number of people living on Pandora has dropped from about 100 to 19, with most having moved into the city鈥檚 housing network.
He explained the remaining 19 individuals are among the 鈥渕ost challenging,鈥� with some entrenched in addiction, others refusing housing and often living with 鈥渆xtreme needs.鈥�
When asked about the figures, the minister said they were based on assessments by government staff who have been on the ground speaking with the unhoused community.
Khalon also reiterated his commitment to providing the support Victoria needs to address the ongoing crisis.
鈥淲e've been working with the local government to find ways to address it, and my response to the city as well as business leaders is, 鈥業f you want more resources, tell us where you want them',鈥� said Kahlon. 鈥淲e understand the challenges鈥� but the best way to address this is to get people indoors, get them the support they need.鈥�
Julian Daly, CEO of Our Place Society, a charity serving Greater Victoria鈥檚 unhoused population located at the epicentre of the homelessness crisis, supports Kahlon鈥檚 claim.
鈥淭he minister's figures are very accurate,鈥� he said. 鈥淥bviously, the numbers fluctuate from day to day, but鈥� there's been a significant reduction in the amount of people on Pandora living rough, and who are absolutely homeless.鈥�
After a push for more shelter and housing options in the region, Daly said 70 new shelter spaces were created through collaboration with BC Housing, Island Health, the city and the province. Split between Our Place and the Salvation Army, these spaces helped reduce the number of people living on Pandora.
However, Daly emphasized the ongoing need for transitional shelter and supportive housing as opposed to the current emergency shelter spaces that require people to leave by 7 a.m. each day.
The creation of more treatment and detox centres, along with mental health support, is also essential, as Daly said the issue, at its core, is one of addiction.
鈥淭he majority of people are homeless because of their addictions and their inability to actually access and sustain housing,鈥� he said. 鈥淯ntil we address the addictions, we won't really get to the heart of addressing homelessness.鈥�
However, Kahlon鈥檚 claim was met with skepticism, with some disputing the numbers.
Among them is Tyler, who has been living on Victoria鈥檚 streets for three-and-a-half years.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a joke,鈥� Tyler said, noting that at least 19 people were staying in a small 70-metre stretch of Pandora Avenue, between Quadra Street and Our Place Society, where he currently camps. 鈥淭here鈥檚 at least 60 permanent residents, and I could name them all.鈥�
Challenging the minister鈥檚 data, the 32-year-old man said that in the past six months, he hasn鈥檛 been approached or seen any government staff assessing the situation on Pandora.
Tyler also argued that accessing shelter space isn鈥檛 as simple as some suggest and comes with its own set of challenges.
With shelters often filling up shortly after opening each day, many are forced to trek outside the downtown core, with all their belongings, away from essential services. Once inside, Tyler said, people face the risk of theft or physical violence, with women being particularly vulnerable.
鈥淚 have some female friends that would rather set up a camp in a doorway than be in a shelter,鈥� he said.
Other barriers include restrictions for pet owners and conditions that make shelters unsuitable for some people with mental health or medical issues.
Beyond finding a shelter space, accessing housing in the region can also be a Sisyphean task.
Both Tyler and Lasheena Seward, who lives in a tent on the 800-block of Pandora, said they鈥檝e been waiting for months for a spot to open up, despite being on several housing lists.
鈥淚 find it very hard to find a place down here,鈥� said Seward. 鈥淚've been waiting and waiting.鈥�
Douglas King, CEO of Together Against Poverty Society (TAPS), a poverty advocacy group, is equally skeptical of the numbers provided by Kahlon.
鈥淚'm not sure where he's getting those numbers from, but that doesn't doesn't align with what we've seen,鈥� he said.
While housing options may be available in the region, King said that the services offered are not always suited for the people they promise to help.
鈥淲hat we're seeing is if somebody is evicted from supportive housing, it's essentially an eviction into homelessness, and the provincial government doesn't seem to really have a plan for where people are supposed to live if they've been kicked out,鈥� said King.
A recent trend by BC Housing over the past few years has also sparked worry at TAPS.
鈥淲e are concerned about the province's [doubling] down on building large supportive multi-unit housing sites where people are living in really close quarters to each other,鈥� King said.
With many tenants in supportive housing dealing with mental health issues and ongoing substance use, these living situations might be inadequate or even worsen their conditions, argued King.
鈥淔or some people, that just doesn't work,鈥� he said. 鈥淏C Housing needs to start focusing on smaller sites, with better staffing ratios, to give people more support, and a better chance of succeeding in their housing. But if anything, we're moving in the opposite direction.鈥�
Despite differing views, Daly emphasized that the issue shouldn鈥檛 be seen only with despair, but also by recognizing the positive progress made within the community.
鈥淚 felt that the Globe and Mail story, while it painted a picture that was true, was a limited picture,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t didn't tell the whole story about what's going on in Victoria, and it offered no hope and no solutions. In fact, I felt like all it did was really embed people in their fears.鈥�
Daly, who has seen many people leave the streets to rejoin society, said recovery is possible with proper support.
鈥淚'm aware of the terrible reality of what's happening here, but I'm also aware that there are solutions. There are people right now in our treatment centre who were on Pandora not long ago and are now reclaiming their lives.
鈥淚 don't think it helps us as a society if we just focus on despair and hopelessness鈥� we also have to work together for solutions.鈥�