Sheltering in Gonzales Neighbourhood
November 2024
The GNA recognises that the issue of homelessness is a highly complex problem with no easy solutions, and that sheltering in parks is a poor option for people without housing as well as a safety concern for housed residents. Gonzales parks have been designated for sheltering since the start of the pandemic.
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In early 2020 just after the pandemic struck, the number of indoor sheltering spaces in Victoria was reduced to maintain physical separation of people to prevent spread of the virus. That, in combination with more homeless people arriving in Victoria, resulted in the city trying to manage the overflow by designating 12 parks with washrooms as places for people to shelter outdoors. The list of 12 parks included all three parks in the Gonzales Neighbourhood: Gonzales Beach, Pemberton, and Hollywood Parks.
Over the last four years the city has gradually closed most of the other parks to sheltering, largely in response to neighbourhood complaints about crime and disorder. On August 1st 2024 the city closed Vic West and Irving Parks to sheltering, leaving Gonzales Beach, Pemberton, and Oaklands Parks as the only three parks open to sheltering. This has resulted in an influx of people sheltering in Gonzales Beach park, with a peak of at least 12 people camping there on September 29-30 2024.
From the perspective of housed residents, the neighbourhood at and around Gonzales Beach Park has experienced the same issues as have other neighbourhoods with encampments: noise, crime, threatening behaviour, open drug use and discarded paraphernalia, garbage, persistent violations of the sheltering bylaw, trespass, and diminishment or loss of recreational opportunities at the park. This has been happening continuously since the start of the pandemic when Gonzales Beach was one of 12 parks with washrooms designated for sheltering. The GNA has requested relief from this situation, as has happened already at 9 of those parks.
Sheltering locations in Gonzales Beach Park on September 30, 2024.
Gonzales Beach Park
Considering that Gonzales is only a small neighbourhood (7% of the City's area) it seems unreasonable that 2/3s of the City's sheltering parks would be designated here. Gonzales' two parks are only 700 metres apart, further emphasising that the City has done a poor job of distributing the parks equitably throughout the city. ​
There are a number of factors specific to Gonzales Beach Park that make it poorly suited to sheltering.
- The park is tiny (0.4 hectares) with little suitable terrain for tents. Beacon Hill Park, for example, is 187 times larger than Gonzales and at its peak is estimated to have had around 100 tents. If sheltering in Beacon Hill had been at the same density of tents and structures as at Gonzales this September, there would have been more than 1000 tents. Another way of looking at this is that at Gonzales Park there has been as little as 0.04 hectares of park space per tent, whereas Beacon Hill Park, at its peak of sheltering, had approximately 0.75 hectares per tent.
- We have observed that at current sheltering use levels, there is competition between individuals for prime tenting locations, which has resulted in weapons being drawn, and makes individuals reluctant to take down their tents in daytime as per the sheltering bylaw.
- The lack of space for sheltering results in people erecting tents within the 4 metre exclusion zones along pathways and private property lines, and around the washroom. This lack of space increases the potential for negative interactions between those sheltering and park users.
- The park is one of the busiest in the city, and draws visitors from across the city and beyond. The beach environment attracts families and children, school and pre-school groups, seniors, and dog-walkers. Many local residents have told us they no longer feel safe at the park or in the adjacent neighbourhood streets, and that they either use the park less or only visit at peak times when more people are present.
- The park is unusual in that several homes are adjacent to the park at a distance of only a few metres from the park boundary. To our knowledge there are no other parks with homes so close to an encampment, and these homeowners are profoundly affected by the adjacent activities.
Map showing the relatives sizes of the various parks that have been identified by the city as open to sheltering since early in the pandemic.
A Poor Place for Sheltering
From the perspective of unhoused people, the park has serious limitations that make it a poor choice for them.
- The park’s small size, pathways that bisect the park, and heavy visitation result in a complete loss of privacy and dignity for those seeking shelter.
- The park is right on the water overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca and is frequently exposed to gale-force and stronger winds in late fall and winter, with wind speeds here much greater than locations even a short distance inland. Of the approximately 140 parks and open spaces in the City of Victoria, only Clover Point Park and Holland Point Park would rival Gonzales Beach for extreme wind speed. Storm winds at Gonzales not only blow down and damage tents, but make it impossible for those sheltering outdoors to stay warm and dry.
- Many tall elms occur in the park and create a canopy of large branches that covers much of the park. We have witnessed the aftermath of storms in the past few years that have resulted in large branches and even mature trees crashing down. A storm on November 11th caused some mature trees to snap. It is hard to understand why the city would direct unhoused people to camp in a park subject to such heavy winds, and we are skeptical whether city efforts this fall to trim branches can adequately mitigate the risk. Much of the park is too steep for pitching a tent (see maps below).
Gonzales Beach Park: Legal Boundary
Gonzales Beach Park: the City's no sheltering zones within the park (shown in orange - areas within 4 m of pathways and private property boundaries, etc.)
Gonzales Beach Park: Areas under tree canopy and at risk of falling branches
Gonzales Beach Park: Sloping ground that is too steep for tenting
Other Parks for Sheltering
When we have pointed out to City staff and members of council that concentrating sheltering in just 3 parks places a disproportionate burden on the affected neighbourhoods, we have been told that there are many other City parks - most of them without washrooms - that are open to sheltering. When we looked for more information on these other parks on the City’s website, we found that there are 141 parks and open spaces in the City, of which 29 are listed as being closed to sheltering. Only three parks are publicised as being open to sheltering, including Gonzales. That leaves 109 additional parks that by default must be open to sheltering - or are they? The City provides no indication on its website or on the signs posted at sheltering parks that these other parks are available for sheltering. Furthermore, the City Parks Department has not answered our requests for a simple list of all parks that are available for sheltering.
Most of these parks do not have washrooms but there are several that do have washrooms or are extremely close to washrooms. It is a mystery why the city does not show these parks on its sheltering maps, does not list them on its website, and does not post signs at them indicating they are open to sheltering.
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The availability of these parks for sheltering is important because they could reduce crowding at Gonzales, Pemberton, and Oaklands Parks, provide an option for homeless people who have experienced conflicts with other people sheltering nearby, and enable people to shelter in places that are not exposed to extreme weather conditions.
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The map below shows the locations of all parks that are not closed to sheltering (as best as we can determine this from the information on the City's website) with labels indicating the parks that larger or a similar size to Gonzales Park.
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If you are concerned
If you are concerned about the future of sheltering in Gonzales or Pemberton Parks, consider contacting the mayor or city councillors. You can find a complete list of phone numbers and email addresses by clicking here. If emailing you may wish to cc the GNA on your email at gonzalesneighbours@gmail.com.
Note that you can send one e-mail that goes to all members of council or associated staff members by emailing to: mayorandcouncil@victoria.ca
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Parks shown in pink are closed to sheltering.
Parks shown in green are not closed to sheltering
Black squares are public washrooms
Blue circles are water fountains