A great many letters supporting a maintenance of the status quo regarding the homeless population in Parksville Qualicum Beach do so without discussing what the status quo actually costs. The impacts in terms of health care costs, staffing for police, paramedics and other first responders are significant, and an economic argument in favour of supportive housing is well supported by several studies.
In terms of policing, in 2017 Oceanside RCMP asked for two more members for 2018 at a cost of $244,000 based on an increase of seven to 10 calls a day. Based on data provided by BC Housing from six supportive housing projects in the province, there was a 22 per cent decline on average in the number of calls made to the RCMP in each neighbourhood.
As for health care, an American study showed that supportive housing reduces the amount of time spent in hospitals by 36 per cent, and the time spent in the criminal justice system by 61 per cent. Data from two Ontario health authorities show average reductions in hospital use by the formerly homeless population of 60 per cent and 89 per cent, respectively, and a reduction in cost to hospitals in Toronto from $1.4 million to $173,000. It goes without saying that health care services, mental health services in particular, are already stretched to the breaking point in our community.
The average cost per capita for a homeless Canadian in a recent study ranges between $33,000 to roughly $56,000. The impact on real estate prices is generally, but not always, beneficial in the long run in the immediate vicinity and criminality generally declines. The impact on local economies needs further research, but given the previous data seems likely to be either negligible or positive.
Scott Harrison
Qualicum Beach