Unhoused individuals have continuously been at risk of losing their belongings and, as the colder weather continues, many look for solutions. A report released last month by UBC, SFU and the University of Ottawa examines the issue and suggests potential remedies.

According to the report, approximately 10 per cent of people in Canada can be described as precariously housed or unhoused. Due to various laws and policies, many find themselves at a disadvantage when it comes to keeping their belongings in their possession.

In Vancouver, many unhoused individuals living individually or in tent encampments are subject to the city’s street sweeps and decampment practises that put them at risk of having their items cleared from the street and lost.

Despite this, many municipalities – Vancouver included – have made efforts to safeguard unhoused people’s items. But according to associate professor at UBC and co-author of the recent report, Alexandra Flynn, these policies can come up short.

“‘Even if [safeguarding] happens, sometimes their possessions can be quite difficult to get back. They might be stored in a location that’s very hard to get to or are just very complicated for people to retrieve them,” says Flynn.

Flynn notes how some locations have warehouses that store and tag these belongings for individuals, while others – such as the Hastings Street decampment – place peoples’ items in numbered garbage bins.

But almost all cases come with additional challenges. People suffering from mental health or addiction issues might not keep track of a number or a tag. Many others might not have access to a functioning phone, preventing them from even knowing where to go.

Considering these difficulties and the impending colder weather, Flynn and report co-author Nicholas Blomley have been investigating legal remedies to aid those who suffer from losing their belongings. Flynn says there’s more work that can be done.

“It’s hard to know what the right thing to do is unless we canvass and consult with people who are unhoused themselves, because they’ll have a better sense of what might work and what might not work. So that’s one area where we’re continuing to kind of hold our findings,” says Flynn. “Another option is to engage in more discussions with other decision makers when the issue of encampments comes up.”

With the colder weather, Flynn points out that people keeping their belongings is as important an issue as ever. As individuals enter shelters with larger items such as tents, sleeping bags, boots, coats and more, Flynn says these locations can be mindful of how much people will be bringing in, as well as making sure the items brought in are still available when people leave.

“I think in the colder weather, we can all sort of empathize with what it might be like to not have secure housing,” adds Flynn. “It’s also the holidays, which I think brings more donations, more awareness and more sensitivity.”

This sensitivity also stems from the connection everyone has with their own possessions. In their report, Flynn and Blomley discuss how belongings comprise so much of who a person is, ranging from items needed for survival to a photo of a family member.

“One thing not to lose sight of is that belongings are always going to be relevant, whenever homelessness is discussed,” Flynn concludes.

For more information on the possessions of precariously housed and unhoused people, the full report can be found at: belongingsmatter.ca