In December 2018, Pivot Legal Society published their comprehensive study, “Project Inclusion: Confronting Anti-Homeless and Anti-Substance User Stigma in British Columbia.” The report examines the ways in which specific laws and policies in policing, health care and the court system directly undermine the health and safety of people who are homeless and living with substance use issues by trapping them in a cycle of criminalization.
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Human rights system
The impacts of police and policing
The Attorney General must take immediate action to increase access to justice for people who believe they have been the victims of excessive force, discrimination, or harassment by police by:
Recommendation 2: Dedicating legal aid funding for:- a clinic to support people to make police complaints through summary advice, short service, or full representation based on the needs of the individual and the nature of the complaint
- public legal education workshops and materials to help people navigate the process of bringing a lawsuit against a police officer or police force; and
- legal representation for families and/or victims in instances of police-involved serious injury or death to facilitate full participation in a Coroner’s Inquests and civil actions.
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Service gaps and barriers & operationalizing stigma-auditing
Recommendation 23: The Province of British Columbia must amend the Human Rights Code, RSBC 1996, c 210 to prohibit discrimination and harassment based on social condition.-
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Service gaps and barriers
Recommendation 29: The Legal Services Society of BC must provide legal support for appeals where a person has been denied income assistance or disability assistance.-
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Service gaps and barriers
Recommendation 30: The Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs must immediately improve the number and accessibility of shelter options to ensure that everyone in BC always has access to a physical location where they can sleep, store belongings, and attend to personal care and hygiene in safety and without threat of displacement or sanctions. To do so they must:- work in partnership with BC Housing to reinstate nightly turn-away counts at shelters and use data to ensure that there are adequate shelter beds to address the level of need in each municipality;
- with the exception of temporary Extreme Weather Response shelters, recognize that overnight-only shelters are untenable for residents and provide funding to expand shelter hours; and
- provide shelter residents an accessible and independent complaint process.
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Operationalizing stigma-auditing
Recommendation 32: In consultation with experts, including human rights law organizations, trauma specialists, and people with lived experience, the Province of British Columbia should adopt a standardized tool and training protocol for conducting “stigma audits” of current laws, policies, and regulations in BC, and to inform the development of new laws, policies, and regulations.-
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Operationalizing stigma-auditing
Recommendation 33: The relevant provincial ministries should engage in extensive education and outreach to legislators and staff across the provincial government, and local governments to introduce the stigma-auditing tool to law and policymakers, and to train stigma auditors.-
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