The Martlet

Tyron Austen, a recent grad of UVic’s master’s program in Health Information Science, has surveyed the world of homeless outreach programs. Using the training in information management he gained in completing his program, Austen partnered with the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness to compile the 2010 Report on Housing and Supports.

Austen was interested in using his skills on a practical issue that would have a concrete impact in Victoria. Then, a year ago, he met Bernie Pauly, an Assistant Professor with the School of Nursing. Pauly was involved with the Leadership Council for the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness.

“I told her about my background in information management and about what I could possibly do to help. And that turned into the project,” said Austen.

According to Austen, the substance of the report was mainly a confirmation of what was generally believed about the leading cause of homeless in Victoria: the cost of living is outstripping most people’s incomes.

“What we found was that Victoria has the highest cost of living in Canada in respect to rentable properties and availability, and the lowest minimum wage in the country,” explained Austen.

He also found some surprising results – the use of preventative, positive programs have lowered the amount of call backs that the Victoria Police receive about homeless individuals.

“Through working with teams of nurses, counsellors, doctors and the like, the rates of police calls for their clients reduces from about four calls a month with the individual to two a month or less,” said Austen.

Austen’s study also investigated the economic cost of homelessness on the healthcare system, and a possible solution to relieve hospital staff. He says there are “sheer economic savings” to be had from eliminating homelessness.

“Hospitals [in Victoria] spend about $500,000 extra [a year] on emergency care for the homeless. Now we instead transfer that money to housing projects … and relieve the hospital staff and beds,” he said. “This would solve two problems at once if we focused more on preventative rather than reactionary policies.”

Austen plans to attend further upcoming meetings between Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness and its various members to discuss the report and start creating an online database similar to what hotels use to track the amount of guests they have. He hopes this will allow the Coalition and the Ministry of Housing and Social Development to better gather information about homelessness and the use of shelters. Austen says the database will be provided by the Provincial Government.

Austen suggests a two-pronged initiative to combat homelessness in Victoria: he says that the minimum wage, currently sitting at $8, needs to be increased and the cost of living needs to come down. Austen believes this can be done by creating more affordable housing projects such as low rent one and two bedroom apartments for those on the low end of the economic spectrum.

“Getting people out of homelessness isn’t just about raising the minimum wage … the wage would have to be $17.31 for a family of four with two working parents to meet the cost of living here, and I don’t see the government more than doubling the minimum wage,” said Austen. “But lowering the cost of living is another thing that can be done.”