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Before-and-after photos show how a major city's homelessness crisis can spiral out of controlhttps://www.businessinsider.in/miscellaneous/before-and-after-photos-show-how-a-major-citys-homelessness-crisis-can-spiral-out-of-control/slidelist/65121030.cms2018-07-24T18:40:01+05:30

Before-and-after photos show how a major city's homelessness crisis can spiral out of control

Jul 24, 2018, 18:40 IST

Using Google Street View photos over time, the project aims to highlight Vancouver's worsening homelessness problem.

The before-and-after images below show a street in an upscale residential neighborhood in 2015 (top) vs 2017 (bottom):

Homeless camps similarly line a popular shopping street in the Whalley neighborhood.

In the 2017 photo below, people are sleeping in front of shops on a main thoroughfare in the Gastown neighborhood.

Oppenheimer Park serves as a site where dozens of homeless people have set up an informal tent community. This before-and-after photo shows an aerial view of the park in 2016 (top) and 2017 (bottom):

In recent years, Vancouver has tried to clear out tent communities in the city. They often form again in other spots.

RainCity Housing has piloted several social housing projects.

Another permanent housing complex for over 200 homeless women and children opened in 2015.

And in December 2017, a building with 129 units of subsidized rental housing opened in the neighborhood of Marpole. The complex doubles as an addiction-treatment and mental-health center.

Other North American cities are grappling with their own homelessness crises. In May, San Francisco Mayor Mark Farrell pledged $29.1 million for homeless services.

Vancouver expects more than 600 permanent subsidized homes and 600 temporary modular homes to open by the end of 2018.

Vancouver Street View may reveal that affordable housing — both temporary and permanent— is one of the most practical ways to alleviate urban homelessness.

"It's time to face just how much the street view has changed and look at real solutions to help end homelessness," the team wrote.

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