Our Place temporarily closes drop-in service due to safety concerns
Our Place Society in Victoria, which offers supports to homeless and vulnerable people, suspended its drop-in service on Thursday due to safety concerns.
Our Place director of services, Jordan Cooper, says the drop-in service was closed for the day due to "hostile behaviour" at the community centre on Wednesday.
"After some conversations yesterday, some tough conversations, we decided it would be prudent to shut down our drop-in space for the day, today," he told CTV News on Thursday.
"We've been facing a bit of an uptick in hostile behaviour, some violence towards staff, so we really thought we needed to take a minute to just see how we were doing things operationally at the drop-in," he said.
Cooper added that the centre was looking at ways "to make sure that it's a safe and healthy place for people coming to access services."
He says there's no one reason why things feel increasingly unsafe at the community centre, though the COVID-19 pandemic and a lack of supports elsewhere are likely contributing factors.
"We've done a good job recently of getting people housed, but there's still lots of people here who still aren't housed who have very complex needs and they're left to kind of fend for themselves," he said.
"There's a lot more desperation out there right now, I believe," he added.
One of the ways Our Place is looking at improve drop-in safety is by updating its walk-in policy, Cooper says.
Previously, Our Place had a "wide open" door for anyone who wanted to use its courtyard or indoor drop-in services. Now, the centre may scale back that policy and have "more of a secure entry," said Cooper.
Other services at Our Place remain open Thursday, such as washroom and shower facilities, and meals, including breakfast, lunch and dinner that can be picked up at the building's gate.
The drop-in service is expected to reopen on Friday morning.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
B.C.'s short-term rental regulations include $10K daily penalties for Airbnb, other platforms
Short-term rental platforms that violate B.C.'s pending regulations can face administrative penalties of up to $10,000 per day, officials announced Thursday.
Closing arguments heard in trial for Sask. dad accused of abducting daughter
Closing arguments were heard Thursday morning in the case of Michael Gordon Jackson, the Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter in 2021 to keep her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine.
Cat found on Toronto Pearson airport runway 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.