The City of Nanaimo wants local non-profit groups who assist the homeless population to work together to come up with viable solutions to help marginalized individuals and reduce homelessness. (File photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Jordan Davidson

AVAILABLE MONEY

City earmarks nearly $500k for Nanaimo non-profits to help marginalized people

Feb 11, 2022 | 6:24 AM

NANAIMO — City coffers have nearly half a million dollars reserved for tackling homelessness, but no solid direction on how to spend the money.

A total sum of $480,000 is included in the City budget to establish a way for local non-profits to work together to support vulnerable populations and help reduce homelessness.

Bill Corsan, city director of corporate and business development said the money has been reallocated into a Systems Planning Organization (SPO), recommended by the now-disbanded health and housing task force as a way to coordinate available resources.

“I think they (non-profits) kind of wanted to see the bigger picture and the framework, and then allocate resources that way. That is four years ago now, and certainly, our homeless population has grown and it’s more of a pressing issue in our community now.”

Of the nearly half million dollars, $100,000 was set aside back in 2018 to support the establishment of a daytime drop-in resource centre, but it was eventually determined not be enough and subsequently held over for future use.

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Further money was added to the pot over the last four years.

The issue of City action on homelessness and social disorder came to the forefront during a Jan. 19 finance and audit committee meeting, where a representative from local non-profit group Risebridge requested financial support.

Their ask, $30,000, was to keep their daytime drop-in centre open for the rest of winter.

Councillors supported exploring available ways to help the situation, but stopped short of endorsing Risebridge or offering any financial assistance.

Instead, City staff put together a report on available resources for vulnerable populations in Nanaimo but did not include Risebridge.

Corsan said with Risebridge only being in operation since August of 2021, they are still learning the landscape of local non-profits and how things are done.

“Our existing non-profit community worked together really well, and they have relationships with each other. They have become a team effort, so if one person is short-staffed or facing challenges they are able to lend a hand. I think you saw that with the SEIA demise, [Canadian Mental Health Association] was able to come and help out.”

Risebridge were the first to step up after internal staffing issues with the Society for Equity, Inclusion and Advocacy (SEIA) forced the existing centre closed.

They operated the facility for six weeks before closing in late January after funds and donations ran dry. CMHA took over and now offers services seven days a week.

Executive director of Risebridge, Jovan Johnson spoke with NanaimoNewsNOW prior to the Feb. 7 council meeting.

She said if council decided not to commit the $30,000 they requested, she hopes the money will at least go to existing warming shelters to expand their hours and accessibility.

“If City Council’s direction is that they are not wanting to support us because we are a new nonprofit organization, that’s fair. Just use the ones that are already in existence and open up those hours to be accessible to more people.”

The CMHA Warming Centre on Wallace St. is only open from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m., while an emergency warming centre on Wall St. is only open if the temperature is -2 degrees or lower, or in the event of extreme weather conditions.

Risebridge recently moved their operation to a Prideaux St. location where they continue to advocate for BIPOC people and other marginalized groups.

While they offer a number of programs on-site, they are unable to operate a warming shelter at their current location.

Join the conversation. Submit your letter to NanaimoNewsNOW and be included on The Water Cooler, our letters to the editor feature.

jordan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @JordanDHeyNow