Homelessness continues to be an explosive issue leading up to Saturday's civic elections and nowhere is the problem heating up more than in Vancouver. On Monday, the two front runners in the race to be mayor tried to prove to the public that they can get people off the street.
Vision Vancouver candidate Gregor Robertson says putting an end to homelessness is his party's number one priority.
He wants to eliminate homelessness by 2015, get enough temporary housing up and running within the next year, and use city bylaws to make sure low income housing that's available now is safe and accessible.
Although the city already has a homeless action plan, Robertson says Vision would set up an emergency task force immediately
He said the task force will help provide an inventory of all possible temporary housing units and potential shelter spaces across the city.
Non-Partisan Association candidate Peter Ladner says Vision's ideas are redundant.
In the next few years, he said 3,800 social housing units will be on stream, including the Pennsylvania Hotel at the corner of Carrall and West Hastings.
"We don't need to strike a task force. There's one under way. We know what to do. Now we just need to get on and do it,'' he said.
But some housing activists disagree.
"This is the only time we see you guys when you come down with empty promises and then we never see you again,'' said one homeless man.
Homeless guy David Brodrick doesn't care who is elected. He just wants solutions, and he has some ideas of his own.
"The Vancouver pre-trial centre holds about 400 people.,'' Brodrick said. "You'd be able to get 400 people off the street at night and put in a safe environment,'' he said.
"If it's o.k. to house people for correctional purposes, why isn't it o.k. for people to sleep there at night?"
It's a common sense solution from someone who knows better than any politician, about the dangers of the street.
With a report by CTV British Columbia's Leah Hendry.
