Nanaimo is looking into building its own shelter on city land for up to 100 easy-to-house people.
City staff have been asked to prepare a report by June 1 on the cost of designing, building and servicing a basic shelter.
The move, proposed by Coun. Erin Hemmens, was approved in a five-to-four vote this week.
Councillors agreed more needs to be done to tackle homelessness in a city where about 650 people do not have shelter, but were split on whether the municipality should step in to develop housing or it should be left to B.C. Housing and the federal government.
Hemmens said she has no specific idea of what kind of shelter would be best and is just seeking information at this point.
Hemmens, who served three years as co-chair of the city’s health and housing task force, said the city has focused on sending strongly worded letters to other levels of government to take care of a problem that’s on its own doorstep. Many of those without homes aren’t dealing with addiction, she said. They include young people, seniors living in their cars, young people and single mothers.
B.C. Housing is working hard in communities, she said, but “it’s not near enough and the suffering extends beyond those without homes and bleeds into our business community and our neighbourhoods.”
Although Nanaimo is investing historically high levels of funding in emergency, security and support services, “we are gaining no ground,” Hemmens said.
It would be easy to find 100 easy-to-house people in the city “who are in terrible circumstances who would benefit tremendously from having a solid roof over their heads,” she said.
Coun. Ben Geselbracht said people in dire straits are living on the street, and tensions are growing in the community.
Most people don’t care whose responsibility it is — they just want to see things improve, he said. “Everybody is hoping that all levels of government can work together and turn it around and start seeing some improvements.”
He said the report would send the message that the city wants to find solutions and invest resources in them. That, in turn, could draw in partners such as the province.
Coun. Sheryl Armstrong was opposed to asking staff for a report on building a shelter. The city is not in the business of providing housing, which is B.C. Housing’s responsibility, she said. The city already has an affordable housing plan, and has numerous reports on what city land could be available for housing, she said.
Mayor Leonard Krog also voted against seeking the report, saying providing housing is a provincial and federal responsibility. Taking 100 people who are poor and homeless off the street won’t solve the problem, he said. “If this were just a homeless problem, it wouldn’t be, frankly, that much of an issue. We have a mental health-addictions-brain injury-and trauma crisis on our streets.”
In addition, taking easy-to-house people off the streets won’t remove troublesome people, who are the ones frightening the public, he said.
“I’ve said it a million times, to the point that I’m sick of saying it; failed social and health policy [has] put us in this situation, layered over with an opioid crisis that has created a street disorder at a level that has never been seen, arguably.”
Krog said he doesn’t believe setting up a shelter would necessarily lead to provincial action.
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