BC Elections 2024 Candidate Responses

• Posted October 15, 2024

October 13 to 19, 2024 is Homelessness Action Week in BC. This week is an opportunity for us all to learn about the causes and effects of homelessness in BC, and to share ideas for a path forward. In the spirit of Homelessness Action Week 2024, we reached out to all the candidates running in the Burnaby region for their responses to 5 questions regarding Homelessness in Burnaby (with the exception of one candidate, MichaelAngelo Abc RobinHood, whose contact information we were unable to find). Candidates were asked to give responses on the following questions:

1. 1) With the housing crisis in Burnaby, what is your understanding of Burnaby’s critical gaps?  What do you see as your role in addressing the housing needs to meet current needs and prevent people from falling into poverty and homelessness?
   
2. 2) Burnaby has had 277 deaths from drug poisonings since the public health emergency was declared in 2016.  What is missing in Burnaby towards preventing deaths?  What role will you fill in creating the needed resources that save lives?
   
3. 3) For people experiencing homelessness, there is almost no services after regular office hours and weekends in Burnaby.   What do you intend to do to establish in a timely way, a 24/7 resource centre to help people connect with the services they need?
   
4. 4) Youth are part of the hidden homeless. What is your understanding of the needs of local youth and what's your role to get them addressed in Burnaby?
   
5. 5) Homelessness affects all age groups and family groupings.  What gaps exist in Burnaby?  What actions will you take to establish needed emergency shelter services and within what timeline?

Candidates were graded on the responses we received according the following criteria:

• - Demonstrated knowledge of Homelessness issues in Burnaby
• - Demonstrated knowledge of existing and required Homelessness policies
• - Presentation of relevant and feasible solutions to address Homeless
• - needs in the community
• - Sense of urgency to tackle homelessness issues
• - Willingness to learn and collaborate
• - Personal action/commitment
• - That responses were distinct personal perspectives, not boilerplate

We would like to thank all the candidates who sent us a response to the 5 questions we sent out regarding Homeless in Burnaby. We have linked below the documents with the responses we have received.