By Spencer Sterritt

Nanaimo’s early approach to homelessness touted at UBCM

Oct 2, 2017 | 6:32 PM

NANAIMO — Nearly a decade after being put into practice, Nanaimo’s first steps into offering supportive housing are being touted by provincial political leaders.

Nanaimo’s former mayor Gary Korpan was specifically referenced in a speech by BC Liberal interim leader Rich Coleman at the Union of B.C. Municipalities conference about affordable housing.

“I was really struck by the whole commitment to try to do what was important for the least fortunate in Nanaimo at the time and Gary’s leadership,” Coleman told NanaimoNewsNOW. “He had the courage to put the less fortunate out there as more important than himself and I always admired him for that.”

Coleman said Nanaimo’s early affordable housing strategy, which created 126 low-barrier units after being announced in 2008, focused on rallying the community behind those in less-fortunate situations.

It was an example he used when talking to other B.C. cities as the minister of housing and social development between 2008 and 2010.

free repairs

'All around win-win situation:' have your items fixed by neighbours at Oceanside repair cafe

15m ago

time served

Nanaimo man caught with over 30g of illicit drugs avoids additional jail time

13h ago

big return

Senior women's box lacrosse returns to Nanaimo after 10+ year absence

14h ago

“We have to recognize they’re all human beings. It’s important for us to have as a Canadian society compassion for (the homeless), knowing it’s not an easy challenge. People will fail, they will stumble as they face their addictions. It’s a piece of work that will continue on but it needs to have that understanding at a community level, because it’s really important to work together,” Coleman said.

Korpan said he was surprised to hear his name referenced in Coleman’s speech and appreciated the recognition for Nanaimo’s early efforts.

“We felt it was an obligation from one citizen to another to try and help out the less fortunate,” he said.

Having kept tabs on Nanaimo’s homelessness situation since leaving office, Korpan said he’s seen substantial neighbourhood opposition in recent years.

“I think people like to think they’ll help their fellow citizens as long as it’s not too close in their backyard. There is an attitude that “If it doesn’t affect me directly, I don’t want anything to do with it.’ We do have a responsibility as citizens to give as well as receive.”

Looking to the future, Korpan said he has high hopes for the newly formed ministry of mental health and addictions, though he stressed he’s seen ministers given a similar portfolio before with minimal results.

Nearly $20 million was announced to create another 153 units of affordable rental housing in Nanaimo under the previous BC Liberal government, helping four projects receive funding. The newly-formed NDP government announced last week it had set aside a total of $291 million for 2,000 housing units plus an additional $170 million over three years to fund staff for support services at the buildings.

However, Nanaimo Affordable Housing executive director Jim Spinelli said most of the new modular homes are destined for Victoria and Vancouver. He said those projects require “major municipal commitment in terms of land and infrastructure.”

Work on an affordable housing strategy for Nanaimo began in earnest in April, 2017. City social planner John Horn previously told NanaimoNewsNOW preliminary work on the strategy had revealed larger roadblocks than expected.

“People are deeper into addictions than they would have been 10 years ago when we started this project and the amount of mental illnesses that we’re seeing are more entrenched and more intense than what we’ve seen.”

Horn said the City hopes to have an affordable housing strategy complete by the fall of 2018 for the next council to implement.

— with files from Ian Holmes

spencer@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @spencer_sterrit