Veterans Affairs Committee on Nov. 29th, 2018

[Insp Colleen Yee]

It's ironic that you ask that. We have actually modelled a peer-to-peer support program from the military. With our own people, there are similarities, in the sense of some of the horrors we see in regard to human suffering and all that, and sometimes the use of deadly force.

When our members are identified as suffering from PTSD, the support is immediate within our own organization. I know that. Our human resources are in there. We have police officers helping the police officers, guided by mental health care professionals. It is almost a wraparound type of service.

With regard to those who have retired and are suffering with mental health issues, there is our pension program, our benefits. We still have medical assistance that goes into that realm of after-service care.

However, it is an important point. The ability to relate is huge. The ability to connect is huge. Veterans helping veterans can only be beneficial.

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

I know your province is rolling out an aggressive homelessness housing strategy to build units right away.

We talked to someone from Ottawa on Tuesday who is building a project, and they can get only half of the funding for their project from Ottawa. The other half is reliant on local and provincial governments for funding, but because it's veterans, they won't accept the funding mechanism to fill the gap on that project.

Do you think it would be important to have housing just for veterans in Vancouver, supported with funding from Ottawa?

[Cst Alyson Smith]

I mean, any help would be great.

I think just identifying our veteran population would benefit that. Certainly if we have 8% of our homeless population self-identifying as veterans, then the need certainly is there for that housing. It comes back to being relatable and having the right supports in that building and on that site to support the veterans. I think having other veterans working there would certainly benefit them.

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Thank you for your services.

[The Chair, Liberal, Neil Ellis]

Mr. Samson, you have six minutes.

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS]

Thanks, both of you, for your service and the work you're doing on the ground. I really appreciate it.

I'd like to learn a little more. Last year I had the opportunity to drive through the Eastside, to Hastings Street and that area. People told me that I couldn't leave without having a look for myself. It was just mesmerizing: the people, everything.... They were lying right in the street. I might have seen a hundred of them in four or five blocks.

The job you do is challenging. You indicated that this does happen in other areas throughout the city today, but it's quite evident there, and even scary to some extent.

[Cst Alyson Smith]

Yes.

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS]

I'd like to learn a little more about your outreach. What does a team look like in the city of Vancouver? Is it a one-person team? How many people are there? What's the link with various organizations that help homeless people?

Let's throw that out as a starting point. Go ahead.

[Cst Alyson Smith]

It is a one-person team. It's me right now. I am the homeless outreach team.

In terms of outreach, I'm certainly out in uniform and on the road every day. I do specific outreach with welfare services once a week, and then with a mental health nurse through our Coastal Health. If I've had conversations with people earlier in the week, I'm specifically able to take services to those individuals through my outreach.

In the city of Vancouver, we have an outreach team that's associated to the city, and I'm well connected with them. We talk all the time. I'm certainly able to connect people to those services as well.

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS]

I thank you that much more, because I don't know how you do it. I think you need some support, but that's me looking at it from my end. It's a task—

[Insp Colleen Yee]

Oh, but I agree with you. She needs support.

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS]

It's a task that's almost impossible.

I really appreciated it when you mentioned that you participated in the round table here in Ottawa. I understood from conversations with the minister that it was an awesome event where people were able to connect and to share best practices and whatnot. That's extremely important.

I don't know if you're aware, but the new national housing strategy has veterans as a priority. Are you aware of that program? If you're able to somehow identify the veterans, that's an area of support for them. Are you aware of that program and that veterans are one priority in that strategy?

[Cst Alyson Smith]

I'm not actually specifically aware of that, but having attended the round table, I do feel there is an emphasis now on veterans and those who have served. I can certainly see that it is a focus.

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS]

Maybe you could have conversations with the municipality around that.

[Cst Alyson Smith]

Absolutely.

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS]

The other thing, which I think my colleague touched on somewhat, is that if you're meeting with homeless veterans, is that they are very proud and they're not necessarily going to share. In terms of wearing your attire, if I could say that, do you think that may be a barrier for them to sharing?

[Cst Alyson Smith]

I think it can be. I think it could also be something that they might identify with, though, probably having worn a uniform themselves. I try to really be approachable. It is just a uniform; it doesn't define me. I do really try to make sure that it's something I'm presenting to our population that I'm speaking with.

I do hear what you're saying. I think it probably could go either way.

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS]

Yes. I very much appreciate what you said about how we approach veterans sometimes being somewhat different. I think you said that you weren't necessarily asking if they were veterans. That's a topic that maybe we can continue to dialogue on. It's important.

Also, the government lately introduced a new ID card for veterans. Their name and their picture, their rank, the number of years of service and the type of service will be on that card. That will greatly help them to have access to benefits. Are you aware of that card? Over time, we're going to be able to track much better as well, and maybe identify them. Do you have any comments?

[Cst Alyson Smith]

I think that's a great idea. I wasn't aware of that, but I think it's fantastic.

We certainly ask people for ID when we're speaking with them, if they're able to even provide that identification. Maybe we don't delve into that conversation yet, but if they're able to provide it, I can see that they are a veteran, somebody who has served, so now I can note that somewhere, and in further conversation, once I have a bit more rapport with them, that's something that can be explored. I think it's a great idea.

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS]

I guess a final question would be—

[The Chair, Liberal, Neil Ellis]

No, sorry; you're out of time.

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS]

Do they have any ID, most homeless people? When you meet with them, do they have ID?

[Cst Alyson Smith]

Usually they don't. It's a challenge. ID is a challenge.

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS]

Thank you, Mr. Chair, for your patient comprehension.

[The Chair, Liberal, Neil Ellis]

You have to stay to the end of the meeting today.

Mr. Eyolfson is next.