A new building in Nanaimo with 60 sleeping units for people without homes, along with a “navigation centre” for clients, was narrowly approved Monday despite questions about a new B.C. Housing model for working with neighbours.
Mayor Leonard Krog made an emotional plea to councillors who were reluctant to approve the plan, saying: “I am literally begging you” to support it.
If Nanaimo turned down the project, mayors of cities such as Prince George, Kelowna and Kamloops would likely call the province saying they wanted it, Krog said.
The facility will offer a temporary space for people without homes or at risk of homelessness who are now staying in overnight shelters, helping them to move to more permanent housing.
In the end, council voted five-to-four to approve a three-year lease of 1030 Old Victoria Rd. — which it purchased this year — to B.C. Housing, which will construct the shelter and hire the Vancouver Island Mental Health Society to run it.
The lease of the property, at the south end of Nanaimo about four kilometres from downtown, includes extension options.
Also coming is the long-wished-for navigation centre, offering individual care and support.
At the same time, the city and B.C. Housing plan to seek sites for new permanent supportive housing.
For the plan to move ahead, an agreement was needed between the city and B.C. Housing under the Homeless Encampment Action Response Team (HEART) and the Homeless Encampment Action Response Temporary Housing program (HEARTH).
Housing for the homeless is in high demand in Nanaimo, where up to 1,000 people are without homes and street disorder is a major issue.
As a condition of leasing out the land, Nanaimo wanted the province to sign on to having a community advisory committee and a good neighbour agreement.
But B.C. Housing said it’s not using neighbourhood agreements any more, saying they stigmatize tenants and may pressure shelter operators and B.C. Housing to set up rules that are different from those for other nearby residential buildings.
The agreements can also pressure B.C. Housing to pay for services outside its mandate, such as policing and security, said Heidi Hartman, associate vice-president of supportive housing and homelessness for B.C. Housing,
They put the responsibility for being a good neighbour on the housing provider without any reciprocal responsibility from the community to be a good neighbour, she said in a letter to city hall.
B.C. Housing is also moving away from community advisory committees because they put extra strain on B.C. Housing staff and partners such as health, municipal and police services, Hartman said.
While those committees were originally set up to last six months, those attending the meetings often ask for them to be extended even if there are no concerns about a particular building, she said.
Instead, B.C. Housing proposes a good neighbour agreement, designed to run for four months after the shelter opens. Hartman told council that there is flexibility in the timeline and meetings could be held prior to the facility’s opening.
The Vancouver Island Mental Health Society would hold up to four neighbourhood meetings, and B.C. Housing would commit to meeting with the local community association’s executive once a year, or as issues come up, Hartman said.
A B.C. Housing representative would be a liaison to the society and provide oversight, and the City of Nanaimo would have that person’s contact information, she said.
B.C. Housing would hold regular meetings with the City of Nanaimo to discuss housing, opportunities and any new issues, she said.
Hartman said the new model is intended to be flexible and customized to a community, adding B.C. Housing has found that it’s more effective to add staff to a facility than to pay for security services.
Residents would be assessed before being placed in the facility, she said.
Coun. Erin Hemmens, who voted in favour of the plan, told Hartman the change in working with neighbours has been a “bit nerve-wracking for the communities.”
Patricia Engell, who owns property on Old Victoria Road, told council she fears impacts from the facility, which would be built directly across the road from the home where she’s lived for 42 years. “I’m so afraid for my own safety.”
Coun. Ian Thorpe voted against the motion, saying he doesn’t “buy the rationale for it” and isn’t convinced the new model for working with neighbours would be more responsive. “I see a bunch of assurances that I just cannot take at face value.”
He dismissed concerns about stigmatizing tenants and having different rules for different neighbourhoods. “Well, you know what? The tenants are in a different situation than those in other residential buildings in the area.”
Coun. Ben Geselbracht, who voted in favour of the plan, said he’s willing to take B.C. Housing’s assurances at face value.
“There’s money on the table and willingness to build this year. We have to shake our heads not to accept something like this.”
>>> To comment on this article, write a letter to the editor: [email protected]
