City dispels rumours of influx of homeless

“No, not that we have seen here. Not at all. And with three meals a day and a lineup, we usually get to see a lot of our clientele. So we would notice if there was a significant increase.”

It the same position the city adamantly takes.

“When we talk about folks coming into and out of Prince George, the first thing that we need to consider is that folks have mobility rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms,” says Eric Depenau, Director of Administrative Services for the City. “And so folks, from whatever background, move around the province and around the country, inside and out for all sorts of different reasons.”

He says for a number of reasons people gravitate to the city, the biggest of which is the fact Prince George is regional hub for services. And he adds it has nothing to do with the FIFA World Cup soccer happening in Vancouver next month.

“We hear a lot of comments about major events. And so a major event happening in British Columbia at this time is the FIFA World Cup in Vancouver. And so Vancouver has also been working hard to try to help address these concerns. And they’ve put out public statements on their website plainly stating that there will be no relocations related to FIFA World Cup host requirements.”

He says the number of homeless in the city is very fluid and is often seasonal. The warmer weather brings out more.

“What we see through our Point in Time homeless counts in 2024 and every roughly three to four years prior to 2016 or so, is a pretty stable population; a population that’s largely from the region local to northern British Columbia, who have found themselves unsheltered here in the streets of Prince George.”

If there are residents or businesses that have concerns about what they feel is a growing number on the streets, he encourages those folks to give City Hall a call.

by Cheryl Jahn

City dispels rumours of influx of homeless

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