Portland Hotel Society

Last updated

Portland Hotel Society (PHS) is a Canadian non-profit society created in 1993 to provide advocacy, housing, services, and opportunities, for Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Its staff support thousands of supportive housing rooms and operate North America's first legal supervised-injection site, Insite, [1] a Downtown Eastside credit union branch (Pigeon Park Savings), [2] a food service that feeds people in single-room occupancy residences (Downtown Eastside Central Kitchen), and other social services and enterprises. [3]

Contents

In 1991, the Downtown Eastside Residents Association (DERA) converted a local hotel to housing for homeless people and named it after the American city of Portland, Oregon, due to its reputation for aiding homeless people. [4] Shortly after, the hotel became the headquarters of PHS as a breakaway group from DERA.

PHS was founded by Liz Evans and her partner, Mark Townsend, as well as Kerstin Stuerzbecher, Dan Small, and Tom Laviolette. Other initial employees of the organization who went on to make major and lasting contributions include Coco Culbertson, Tanya Fader, and Andy Bond. [5]

Housing

As of 2019, PHS operates over 24 supportive housing facilities across Vancouver and Victoria for community members who have experience with mental illnesses, challenges with substance use, a history of homelessness, past experience with the criminal justice system and other encounters with oppressive or structural violence. The program is funded by the BC Housing Management Commission (a provincial Crown corporation) and the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority. Approximately 40 percent of residents remain in PHS housing for about 10 years, while the balance of residents stay 4 to 6 years. This contrasts dramatically with the prior history of residents, who typically registered 6 to 8 addresses – or none at all – in the year before moving to the Portland Hotel. [4]

It currently operates several buildings owned by BC Housing, including the Washington Hotel, the Rainier Hotel, the Roosevelt Hotel, the Beacon Hotel and the Sunrise Hotel. [3]

Insite

In September 2003, the PHS forced Vancouver Coastal Health to found Insite by constructing and opening the site illegally. Insite became North America's first supervised injection site. The Government was forced through the pressure of public opinion to issue a special exemption to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. [6] [ failed verification ]

On August 13, 2007, the Portland Hotel Society and two citizens filed suit in the BC Supreme Court to keep the centre open, arguing that its closure by the federal government would be a violation of the Charter right of Insite users to "security of the person". [7]

On September 29, 2011, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled unanimously in Canada (AG) v PHS Community Services Society that the federal government's failure to renew Insite's exemption under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act was

arbitrary, undermining the very purposes of the CDSA, which include public health and safety. It is also grossly disproportionate: the potential denial of health services and the correlative increase in the risk of death and disease to injection drug users outweigh any benefit that might be derived from maintaining an absolute prohibition on possession of illegal drugs on Insite's premises.

The Court ordered the federal government to grant an exemption to Insite forthwith, allowing the facility to stay open. [8] Although the Court noted the government could later withdraw this exemption, "where [...] the evidence indicates that a supervised injection site will decrease the risk of death and disease, and there is little or no evidence that it will have a negative impact on public safety, the [government] should generally grant an exemption." [9]

Governance

According to filings with Revenue Canada, PHS revenue for 2013 exceeded $35.5 million, with 61 percent provided by the provincial government of British Columbia. For that year, management costs accounted for nine percent of expenses. In 2013, six full-time employees received compensation between $120,000 and $159,000. [10]

In early 2014, the provincial minister responsible for housing Rich Coleman disclosed that an external audit by accounting firm KPMG found concerns about administration costs. [10] [11] While acknowledging mistakes, Townsend maintained the audit and its findings were more about politics than financial improprieties. He argued that PHS's primary government funders, BC Housing and Vancouver Coastal Health, were upset with Townsend and Evans for their harm reduction activism and protest activities, which often targeted BC Housing and Vancouver Coastal Health, and said BC Housing organized the audit to find an excuse for a change in leadership at PHS. [12]

As a result of the audit's findings, the nine-member board and (husband and wife) co-executive directors Mark Townsend and Liz Evans resigned in March 2014. Replacement board members included Vancouver Coastal's former CEO Ida Goodreau and current Chief Medical Health Officer Patty Daly. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harm reduction</span> Public health policies which lessen negative aspects of problematic activities

Harm reduction, or harm minimization, refers to a range of intentional practices and public health policies designed to lessen the negative social and/or physical consequences associated with various human behaviors, both legal and illegal. Harm reduction is used to decrease negative consequences of recreational drug use and sexual activity without requiring abstinence, recognizing that those unable or unwilling to stop can still make positive change to protect themselves and others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skid row</span> Impoverished urban area in North America

A skid row, also called skid road, is an impoverished area, typically urban, in English-speaking North America whose inhabitants are mostly poor people "on the skids". This specifically refers to people who are poor or homeless, considered disreputable, downtrodden or forgotten by society. A skid row may be anything from an impoverished urban district to a red-light district to a gathering area for people experiencing homelessness or drug addiction. In general, skid row areas are inhabited or frequented by impoverished individuals and also people who are addicted to drugs. Urban areas considered skid rows are marked by high vagrancy, dilapidated buildings, and drug dens, as well as other features of urban blight. Used figuratively, the phrase may indicate the state of a poor person's life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip Owen</span> Canadian mayor (1933–2021)

Philip Walter Owen was the 36th mayor of Vancouver, British Columbia from 1993 to 2002, making him one of Vancouver's longest serving mayors. His father was Walter S. Owen, who was Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia from 1973 to 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supervised injection site</span> Medical facility

Supervised injection sites (SIS) or drug consumption rooms (DCRs) are a health and social response to drug-related problems. They are fixed or mobile spaces where people who use drugs are provided with sterile drug use equipment and can use illicit drugs under the supervision of trained staff. They are usually located in areas where there is an open drug scene and where injecting in public places is common. The primary target group for DCR services are people who engage in risky drug use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Eastside</span> Neighbourhood in Vancouver, British Columbia

The Downtown Eastside (DTES) is a neighbourhood in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. One of the city's oldest neighbourhoods, the DTES is the site of a complex set of social issues, including disproportionately high levels of drug use, homelessness, poverty, crime, mental illness and sex work. It is also known for its strong community resilience, history of social activism, and artistic contributions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Green (Canadian politician)</span> Draft evader and politician

Jim Green was an American-Canadian who was a longshoreman, taxicab driver, community activist, non-profit housing developer, municipal politician, university instructor and development consultant.

Dr. Francis John Blatherwick, CM, OBC, CD, FRCP(C) was one of Canada's trailblazing leaders in public health and was the longest-serving Medical officer of health in Canada when he retired in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Insite</span> Safe drug injection facility in Vancouver, B.C., Canada

Insite is a supervised drug injection site in the Downtown Eastside (DTES) neighbourhood of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada The DTES had 4,700 chronic drug users in 2000 and has been considered to be the centre of an "injection drug epidemic". The site provides a supervised and health-focused location for injection drug use, primarily heroin. The clinic does not supply any drugs. Medical staff are present to provide addiction treatment, mental health assistance, and first aid in the event of an overdose or wound. In 2017, the site recorded 175,464 visits by 7,301 unique users; 2,151 overdoses occurred with no fatalities, due to intervention by medical staff. The site also offers a free checking service so clients can check their substances for fentanyl and carfentanil. Health Canada has provided $500,000 per year to operate the site, and the BC Ministry of Health contributed $1,200,000 to renovate the site and cover operating costs. Insite also serves as a resource for those seeking to use a harm reduction approach for people who inject drugs around the world. In recent months and years, delegations from a number of countries are on record touring the facility, including various U.S. states, Colombia and Brazil. 95% of drug users who use Insite also inject on the street according to a British Columbia health official.

John Wilfred Turvey, was a long-time advocate for the disadvantaged in Vancouver, British Columbia. After becoming a heroin addict at 13 years old and dropping out of Barr Beacon School in year 10, John Turvey went on to found and serve as the Executive Director of the Downtown Eastside Youth Activities Society for 20 years. He died of mitochondrial myopathy in Comox, British Columbia at the age of 61.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vancouver Agreement</span>

The Vancouver Agreement was an initiative undertaken jointly by the governments of Canada, British Columbia, and the City of Vancouver, to develop and revitalize Vancouver, and in particular its Downtown Eastside, through collaboration between projects and ministries at all three levels of government, as well as community and business groups. While other parts of the city are also targeted by the initiative, its Downtown Eastside area is notorious across Canada for its deep problems with poverty, substance abuse, prostitution, violent crime and homelessness, and the agreement’s stated goals include promoting the health, safety and economic and social well being of the neighbourhood. The initial five-year agreement began in March, 2000 and expired in March, 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users</span> Organization

The Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users or VANDU is a not-for-profit organization and advocacy group based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The group believes that all drug users should have their own rights and freedoms. The group's members have been actively involved in lobbying for support of Insite, North America's first safe injection site, located in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver.

AIDS Vancouver, founded in early 1983, is recognized as one of the first community-based non-profit AIDS organizations in Canada, responding to the HIV/AIDS crisis in the Vancouver area. Led by co-founders Gordon Price, Noah Stewart, Dr. Mike Maynard, Daryl Nelson, and Ron Alexander Slater, the organization has aimed to provide support, education, and advocacy for individuals affected by HIV/AIDS. With a focus on grassroots efforts and community mobilization, AIDS Vancouver has been involved in efforts to address the spread of HIV and support individuals living with the virus. In March 2024, AIDS Vancouver changed its purpose, values, and name to support and empower people living with HIV for years to come, and is now operating as Ribbon Community Society, with its programs and services remaining the same.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homelessness in Vancouver</span> Social crisis in Vancouver

Homelessness is a social crisis that has been rapidly accelerating in the Canadian city of Vancouver, British Columbia, over the last decade. According to the United Nations, homelessness can either be relative or absolute. Absolute homelessness describes people living in absence of proper physical shelter. Relative homelessness describes people living in poor conditions of health or security, including an absence of both personal safety and steady income despite having physical shelter to reside in. As of 2023, roughly 2,422 people in Vancouver are subject to one of these types of homelessness, or are transitioning between them.

Responsible drug use seeks to maximize the benefits and minimize the risks associated with psychoactive drug use. For illegal psychoactive drugs that are not diverted prescription controlled substances, some critics believe that illegal recreational drug use is inherently irresponsible, due to the unpredictable and unmonitored strength and purity of the drugs and the risks of addiction, infection, and other side effects.

Bud Osborn was a poet, community organizer, and activist in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Following his prolonged struggle with heroin addiction and alcohol dependency, Osborn became a founding member of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users and advocated for the creation of a legal supervised injection site. His poetry commented on poverty and homelessness in Vancouver.

<i>Canada (AG) v PHS Community Services Society</i> Supreme Court of Canada case

Canada (AG) v PHS Community Services Society, 2011 SCC 44, [2011] 3 SCR 134 is a leading Supreme Court of Canada case dealing with the application of the criminal law and healthcare heads of power found in section 91 and section 92 of the Constitution Act, 1867 and the principles of fundamental justice in section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Perry Kendall, is a Canadian Public health physician who was Provincial Health Officer (PHO) for the Canadian province of British Columbia's health ministry from 1999-2018 and was awarded the Order of British Columbia for contributions to Public health field and to harm reduction policy and practice.

Karen O’Shannacery is a Canadian homeless advocate. She is the former executive director of the Lookout Emergency Aid Society in Vancouver and co-founder of the BC Shelter Network.

Liz Evans is a Canadian nurse and harm reduction pioneer. She is the founder of the nonprofit Portland Hotel Society and a cofounder of North America's first sanctioned supervised-injection facility, Insite.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Travis Lupick</span> Canadian journalist and author

Travis Lupick is a Canadian journalist and author. Lupick has worked as a staff reporter for The Georgia Straight and as a freelance reporter for the Toronto Star, and Al Jazeera English, among others.

References

  1. ↑ Leung, Marlene (21 September 2013). "As InSite turns 10, others fight for supervised drug injection sites across Canada". CTV News. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  2. ↑ in partnership with Vancity CU.
  3. 1 2 Mackie, John (19 March 2014). "Leaders of Portland Hotel Society resign in battle over funding". The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  4. 1 2 "Portland Hotel Society". Initiatives Profile. Shared Learnings on Homelessness. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  5. ↑ Lupick, Travis (2017). Fighting for space: how a group of drug users transformed one city's struggle with addiction. Vancouver, BC: Arsenal Pulp Press. pp. 37, 58, 140, 141, 145, 156, 181. ISBN   978-1-55152-712-3. OCLC   1005092569.
  6. ↑ Koshan, Jennifer. "Safe Sites for Illegal Drug Consumption: In Need of Insight". ABlawg.ca. The University of Calgary Faculty of Law. Retrieved 22 March 2014.
  7. ↑ "Advocates of B.C. safe-injection site go to court to keep it open". CBC News. August 17, 2007. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  8. ↑ Canada (Attorney General) v PHS Community Services Society, 2011 SCC 44, p. 150
  9. ↑ Canada (Attorney General) v PHS Community Services Society, 2011 SCC 44, p. 152
  10. 1 2 Lupick, Travis (19 March 2014). "Portland Hotel Society founding members resign following provincial government ultimatum". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  11. ↑ Rob Shaw; Tiffany Crawford (20 March 2014). "Portland Hotel Society audit finds hundreds of thousands of dollars in questionable expenses". The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  12. ↑ Lupick, Travis (2017). Fighting for space: how a group of drug users transformed one city's struggle with addiction. Vancouver, BC: Arsenal Pulp Press. pp. 361–372. ISBN   978-1-55152-712-3. OCLC   1005092569.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  13. ↑ Lupick, Travis (19 March 2014). "Incoming Portland Hotel Society board members have strong ties to Vancouver Coastal Health". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.