Since the recent announcement that the supportive housing initiative once operating at 940 Caledonia Avenue would be reopening, some have expressed their apprehension and others, concern.
Tiny Town was operated by Our Place Society on Caledonia Avenue from April 2021 to October 2023. During that time, some residents say the area experienced an influx of criminal activity.
Now, VicPD have put together statistics to show concerned residents nearby what their call volume looks like before, during and after Tiny Town’s initial operation.
“The graphs below show overall calls for service in each month over a five-year period, as well as the top five types of calls within each year,” wrote VicPD in a media release.
“These call-types are categorized by the E-Comm dispatcher. Note that calls for Unwanted Persons, Suspicious Persons and Check Wellbeing are not considered criminal activity.”
Despite these call volumes, it is important to note that according to both VicPD and Our Place Society, no criminal charge was ever handed to a resident of Tiny Town during its operation.
Grant McKenzie, Director of Communications at Our Place Society says that while there was crime and mischief in the area, usually it was due to external factors.
“I can’t really think of any police incidents,” he explained. “When the people moved in there, they really took ownership of it.”
“There would have been police incidents around the neighbourhood that people wrongly connected to Tiny Town. It wasn’t the residents of Tiny Town—it was the people who were not housed.”
“It was a very peaceful environment,” McKenzie added.
BC Housing told Victoria Buzz that residents of the supportive housing initiative were beholden to a long and detailed code of conduct that if they broke, could jeopardize their spot at Tiny Town.
“Over the course of a 10-year period (2014-2023), the average number of calls for service in the area was 397 calls per year,” VicPD noted of the graph.
VicPD added that during the years that Tiny Town was active, it was a tumultuous time for many in Victoria, especially for the city’s unhoused population.
However, when speaking with Victoria Buzz about crime in the area, Victoria Councillor Stephen Hammond said that the nearby residents he had spoken with would call VicPD as frequently as possible to bolster the call records to the police.
Hammond fervently believes the BC government should be giving funding to those who live around supportive housing developments such as Tiny Town because he says there is a higher risk of crime surrounding some initiatives.
When the announcement came out that Tiny Town would be reopening, Hammond called the move “completely heartless.”
Related:
Victoria councillor calls on BC to provide better security around some supportive housing projects
‘Urgent need for housing’ drives North Park’s Tiny Town to reopen under new name
VicPD say they recognize that residents of the neighbourhood surrounding Tiny Town have expressed concern over the initiative reopening, but they believe it will be helpful for the community.
“Victoria Police Department supports the re-establishment of a small, well-managed supportive housing site at 940 Caledonia Avenue as a safe location option within the City of Victoria for both those needing support and the surrounding neighbourhood,” VicPD said.
As of this publication, the official reopening date of Tiny Town has not yet been announced, however it has been revealed that it will be operating under a different name.
