The City of Victoria is urging those living in parks to accept housing in facilities available to them or be at risk of a court injunction.
Effective May 1st, people sheltering outside who have not accepted temporary housing will be required to take down, pack up, and remove their tents and belongings daily by 7 a.m. until they do or risk a court injunction.
Those who have accepted temporary housing will not be required to pack up daily.
According to the City of Victoria council’s closed report from last Thursday, a court injunction to enforce the Parks Regulation Bylaw will be issued should voluntary compliance not be achieved.
At the end of this month, people sheltering outdoors will begin moving into transitional housing in Vic West starting the first week of May and at the Tiny Homes Village near Royal Athletic Park the following week.
Together these sites will house about 100 people.
BC Housing will be offering people a spot in either location this week.
“Once someone makes the decision to move inside, we want to do everything we can to support them in that transition and on their pathway to permanent housing,” said Mayor Lisa Helps.
“That includes taking a compassionate, tailored approach to bylaw enforcement until their new homes are ready to move into.”
Since February, 114 people have moved inside from parks and other outdoor areas.
