‘Bigger than one winter:’ Oceanside dry shelter advocates get RDN support letter

The RDN board approved sending a letter to BC Housing expressing their support, in principle, for a six-month, cold-weather dry shelter with up to 10 beds, subject to appropriate requirements being met.

A similar motion to what Parksville councillors approved during their May 20 meeting, where coun. Sean Wood was also appointed as a liaison to the OHTF.

Day said they’re working on confirming a possible location for the shelter, which would accept clients through a booking model, while a good neighbour agreement would be a requirement.

She said the goal is not to warehouse people, but rather help them get off the street to a stable environment.

“We can keep spending money reacting after people fall apart, or we can start investing in prevention. This pilot is not enabling, this is not abandonment. It is structure, dignity, it is accountability, it is access, it is prevention. This is bigger than one organization, this is bigger than one municipality, this is bigger than one winter.”

Day is also the founder of DayHomes, an Oceanside non-profit providing basic needs such as food, clothing, and personal hygiene products.

Different people and community groups have been pushing for a permanent shelter for the Oceanside unhoused for several years, without success. (Image Credit: File photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

RDN Area F director Leanne Salter was not in favour of the letter of support, saying 10 beds aren’t going to fix the problem.

“I have serious concerns. I get the desperation, and I hear it, I hear it all around the table…but that’s not the fix. We need a real fix, and a real fix has to come from the province because they’re not going to get the finances and they don’t have the qualifications…this is a political, ‘don’t I look like I’m doing something’. That’s what this is.”

Salter said their extreme cold weather centres, activated and funded by the province when it’s forecasted to be -4 degrees or lower for the next 24-hour period or below zero with a weather warning in place, is “the best we can do” for now.

In past years, the Oceanside Community Church, located in Electoral Area F near Errington, and the Qualicum Christian Fellowship Church have both been activated during cold snaps.

Day was considering the Oceanside Community Church as the location for the 10-mat shelter, but an RDN staff report notes a shelter would be against the church’s current zoning bylaw, and is not accessible by BC Transit.

Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog was in favour, and said it’s “one of the most conservative” approaches he’s heard on this issue in a while.

“There are people who are just homeless. They may not be suffering from deep addiction or serious mental health issues, they’re just homeless, and what is proposed is a shelter that is a regular place for them to live until such time as housing is available.”

Directors Wallace, Bob Rogers, Salter, Ian Thorpe, Tyler Brown, Parksville Mayor Doug O’Brien and Lantzville Mayor Mark Swain all voted against the motion to advance discussions with BC Housing for a seasonal winter dry shelter for the Oceanside region.

According to the RDN’s website, the only options currently listed for people in Oceanside needing shelter is to contact the Salvation Army Soup Kitchen or the Society of Organized Services (SOS), both in Parksville.

However, neither provides a permanent overnight shelter, except for women and their children fleeing abuse through the Parksville-Qualicum Haven House.

Local news. Delivered. Free. Subscribe to our daily news wrap and get our top local stories delivered to your email inbox every evening.

info@nanaimonewsnow.com

Follow us on: Twitter (X) | Bluesky | Facebook

by Jordan Davidson

‘Bigger than one winter:’ Oceanside dry shelter advocates get RDN support letter

More Local News