Housing shortfall, costs and affordability

[tomh009]

However, the regional council clearly directed the staff to change this approach, and this kind of eviction has not happened again, not at Weber/Victoria, not at Roos Island, and to my knowledge anywhere else at the region. They are clearly taking a more measured approach to this, and trying to ensure that the people have a place to go to after the encampment is closed.

Whether they are successful at this still remains to be seen.

I mean...yes and no. I'm am quite certain that council was very angry about the bulldozing. Some...were angry about the inhumanity of it...others I suspect were more angry about being politically embarrassed.

The approach has changed, in that staff are not unilaterally bulldozing encampments. The approach has not changed in that at least some on council would still prefer to evict the encampment. But they are trying to find a way to do it without it being overtly evil.

They are going through the courts, talking about risk, etc. trying to make it less inhumane in appearance and them less responsible.

FWIW...I have no doubt that everyone on council would prefer to eliminate the encampment without evictions, but none on council are actually implementing policies which would allow that, or at least...are not doing so in an expedient manner.

Somewhat cynical there, Dan. The region is working on having (if I recall correctly) four different housing options available by the end of this month; one of them appears to be the former Schwaben Club, I don't know what the others are. That would give many/most of the encampment residents a place to go; others may not accept any of the options and might end up being evicted. But the key is to have multiple and sufficient options, as not everyone in the encampment has the same needs.

Apart from those four housing options the region is working on, what policies would you expect to see, in order to eliminate the encampment?