By: Aditi Dwivedi, News Writer
CRAB Park tent city “Ayx Village,” is the only encampment deemed legal by the BC Supreme Court. This year they organized a fundraiser to support residents throughout the winter.
Fiona York, a volunteer and advocate of Ayx Village, sat down for an interview with The Peak. York hopes to receive continued support from the community and appeals to the provincial government to take concrete steps towards solving the housing crisis in BC. According to York, the Tent City in Vancouver is “a landmark of the whole country because it’s the first time there has ever been a legal outdoor sheltering space.”
CRAB Park provides shelter, warmth, food, access to healthcare facilities, and housing outreach programs. CRAB Park also offers its residents the opportunity to build a community. York says, “It is very difficult to keep restarting and not having any stability, so it is really significant that people can actually stay put in one spot and have access to some resources.”
The winter weather in BC causes the number of residents to drop significantly as it becomes tough to survive outdoors. Not only does the cold weather impact the health and survival of the residents but also the structure of their spaces. “Most tents aren’t really designed to withstand those kinds of temperatures and weather conditions,” York adds. The winter fundraiser for the CRAB Park Tent City was started to mobilize the community to donate funds and other essentials like blankets, jackets, boots, and meals during the holiday season.
At the time of publication, approximately $6,000 had been collected through the online fundraiser. Volunteers used roughly $3,000 to hold a big Christmas dinner, give gifts to the residents, and purchase groceries for the week following Christmas.
According to York, the support-workers and the residents “don’t normally have the ability to purchase tents and tarps for people, we usually rely on donations,” but the surplus funds from the fundraiser allowed them to purchase other necessary items like headlamps and torchlights, as requested by residents.
York indicated that residents usually deal with mental health issues, grief, and the stress of being away from families during the holidays, which is why the fundraiser became a way to help them through the season. York believes an important part of the fundraiser is to help the community “[erase] some of the stigma [and] negative ideas around people who live outside, people who live in tent cities.” She adds that compassion from the community, and understanding the needs of the residents goes a long way towards keeping the encampment up and running.
York believes that until now, the focus of the government has been directed towards temporary shelters whereas it should be on quickly building permanent housing structures. She also states the government should aim to recognize the lived experiences of people and incorporate their opinions in the decision-making to better suit their needs. “Recently, the announcement from the provincial government about housing came as a surprise and there was no consultation with people who actually live in the camp or people who are houseless.”
To donate to the CRAB Park Tent City winter fundraiser, visit their fundraiser website on chuffed.org. They are also accepting donations of jackets, blankets, boots, socks, and warm meals.
