Lekwungen and W̱SÁNEĆ territory (Victoria, B.C.) – BC needs an immediate ban on weapons in supportive housing buildings province-wide and changes to Residential Tenancy Act (RTA) provisions to enable supportive housing operators to respond in case of weapons possession and violence, the BC Coalition for Safe and Sustainable Supportive Housing (SaSSH) announced today in Victoria.

"Low-barrier supportive housing providers have been clear that the Residential Tenancy Act (RTA) is the wrong legislation for our sector," says Carolina Ibarra, CEO of Pacifica Housing, one of Victoria’s largest supportive housing providers, and Vice Chair for Vancouver Island of SaSSH. "One of our many concerns is that we cannot deal effectively with weapons and violent behaviours under the current regulation. We are also deeply troubled about our inability to remove trespassers from the property, some of whom are known to have weapons and to be aggressive. We need support from the BC government to address these issues – and we need it now."

In late April, a young father was found deceased in a unit at Waterview, a supportive housing building operated by Pacifica Housing in Victoria’s Burnside Gorge neighbourhood. The incident is being investigated as a suspected homicide. Ibarra says such incidents, which are preventable, take away from the positive impact of low-barrier supportive housing and feed negative narratives. Residents and staff at Waterview are deeply concerned and want action.