When one-third of the homeless have been given the accommodation that they need, in a relatively short time, it should provide a sense of confidence that we will be able to beat the problem.

But we should not expect the good work to continue at this rate. The job will get tougher as time goes on, because the easiest to house have already been placed in the most accessible housing. Victoria Mayor Dean Fortin, the coalition's co-chairman, is right when he says that the group will need to double its efforts.

Robert Mitchell, the coalition project manager, says that creating housing for 1,500 people over seven or eight years would be a gargantuan task -- but that is no reason to turn away from what must be done.

Putting the homeless into housing brings many benefits. The stability offered by housing can pay off through increased chances for employment and reductions in emergency visits and health-care costs. Housing the homeless can make things better for the entire community, because the downtown starts to feel friendlier when it's not filled with people looking for a place to camp.

Fortin says the success so far has been driven by support from several sides, including the Vancouver Island Health Authority, apartment owners and managers, the provincial government, the Capital Regional District and area municipalities.

The effort has been focused not just on finding housing, but providing supports that allow people -- some of whom have difficult mental health and addiction issues -- to remain housed.

All of these partners will need to remain committed to the work if it is to succeed. It would be good to see the province contribute more -- and to see the federal government get involved as well.

Sometimes it doesn't take a fortune to make a difference. Just ask the men who live in the Salvation Army's Johnson Street transition house, where an anonymous donor has contributed $25,000 so a broken elevator can be repaired. The elevator has been broken for two months. As a result, the residents have had to climb the stairs to get to their rooms.

A big problem went away for a relatively small sum.

There is no magic solution that will fill all the housing needs in Greater Victoria. It will take thousands of small steps, and the work of many partners, to reach success.

It's worth doing, because the homeless need a chance to get their lives back on track -- and they need our help, too.