The mother of a family struggling to feel safe in Vancouver has shared footage of people trying to get into her home.
Sabrina Desjardins recently shared a video from her doorbell ring camera, showing many people checking the locks.
“The neighbourhood used to be so lovely. Now, I feel the need to watch over my shoulder when walking or taking the dog out,” she told Daily Hive.
We spoke to Desjardins about how her neighbourhood has changed over the years and why she’s scared for her daughter’s safety.
Desjardins is a volunteer photographer for non-profit animal charities. She and her family have lived on Pacific and Howe in a place her family has owned for 11 years.
She says the foot traffic at her home has increased since the drop-in sites were put in on Hornby and another further up on Howe Street, the Yaletown OPS, which has now been relocated relatively close by.
“Prior to this, we didn’t get this kind of traffic.”
Desjardins and her family live in a three-storey townhouse, and the door in the video leads directly into her home. The video she shared shows an assortment of people coming to her door to check her locks, but thankfully, there have been no successful break-ins.
She captured someone walking away with her doormat. Others try to wiggle the handle, while some look like they might just be lost.
“We have taken precautions installing proper glass and alarm systems and cameras on every floor.”
Desjardins’ daughter is 11 years old, which is one of the primary reasons she’s so concerned for her family’s safety.
Public drug use is something many Vancouver residents and visitors have witnessed. We’ve published stories about tourists who have travelled to Gastown, leaving reviews on platforms like Trip Advisor that recount their experiences around public drug use.
She hasn’t made any concrete connections between people who are engaging in drug use and the folks she’s captured on her doorbell cam, but she has witnessed it around her home.
“We have experienced not being able to leave because someone on drugs has parked themselves outside our door, luckily not when our daughter is home.”
“We have to watch for needles, feces, and drugs; our neighbour’s dog ended up in an emergency for inhaling fentanyl; the vet said it only needs to be a tiny amount. We have a dog, and this is a concern for her safety.”
Desjardins said they’ve contacted the police, but she has been told there’s only so much they can do until an actual crime has been committed.
“There are always people in our alley shooting up, and that alley is the only access to our parkade.”
Moving has also been a consideration, were it not for the state of the economy.
“With interest rates being so high and the market being where it is, it’s not really an option.”
However, she adds that the need to move may become inevitable, despite the market.
“If we did have a successful break-in, we would absolutely have to move, or my daughter would not ever sleep again.”
Have you had struggles feeling safe in Vancouver? Let us know in the comments.
We’ve contacted the VPD for comment.