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MLA says Nanaimo likely to wait ‘quite a while’ for next round of supportive housing funding

Mar 15, 2018 | 5:58 PM

NANAIMO — As Nanaimo councillors hedge their bets on scoring money during the next round of provincial housing funding, the local NDP MLA says there are no guarantees.

Since the province pulled $7 million in funding for a supportive housing project in Chase River, several councillors tried to calm critics by pointing to a second round of cash on the way from the NDP government.

However, Nanaimo MLA Leonard Krog told NanaimoNewsNOW he suspected round two would be delayed for “quite a while because there are other communities that are prepared and have the sites. Nanaimo apparently only had one.”

Krog said missing out on the funding was “bad news” for the community on several fronts.

“I think people were surprised how quickly my government was prepared to move on this. We see homelessness and housing as a crisis and it is a crisis…Clearly Nanaimo either wasn’t prepared or didn’t think we were serious,” he said.

Krog said every other part of Nanaimo took a supportive housing project and, despite initial uproar, they fit in well with their neighbourhoods.

It was a chance for Nanaimo Council to show courage in the face of angry voters, Krog said. Only councillors Diane Brennan and Gord Fuller voted against rejecting the proposed Cranberry Ave. location.

“If you have experience, you know what you’re doing is right and you’ve seen the results, you have to take that flack and show leadership. That leadership means you push ahead because you’ve seen it work, the evidence supports it, get on with it,” Krog said.

Several councillors said the province’s timeline was unrealistic and the City felt almost bullied into moving forward.

Krog said it’s an interesting concept to him. “I think there’s a lot of communities in this province who would say it’s not money being jammed down our throats, it’s money you’re pouring into our hands and would generally say ‘Thank you very much and is there more to come.’”

Mayor Bill McKay said they weren’t simply going to move ahead with a project because there was funding offered. On Monday night, he read a letter from Minister Selena Robinson reaffirming the province’s commitment to the housing in Nanaimo once the City identified a new location.

Coun. Sheryl Armstrong said the City was given no time to find an alternate site once they requested an extension, something the province swiftly denied.

Armstrong said the information from the government constantly changed about who would live in the housing. She said they were promised it would be seniors and people with disabilities during in-camera meetings in December, only to find out it would be for the most street entrenched and drug addicted during a January open house.

“Public engagement is very critical and I think we’d be severely criticized for dropping this on the community without engagement,” she said.

City staff continue searching for alternative locations for the supportive housing and are expected to return to Council with options in the “near future.”

The province has so far been quick to answer direct requests for help from Nanaimo.

After sending a letter in January asking for mental health and addictions resources, the government provided up to $100,000 for a community action team. The Chase River funding offer was in response to another City request late in 2017.

A fully-funded supervised consumption site was also rejected by Council after concerns from the community.

 

dom@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @domabassi