By Spencer Sterritt

‘None of us are happy:’ Nanaimo leadership speaks out against new supportive housing complex

Jan 14, 2019 | 9:24 PM

NANAIMO — The City of Nanaimo’s leaders have expressed concern and disappointment with a substantial supportive housing complex quickly opened to alleviate the homelessness crisis.

“It has not turned out the way I had hoped or expected,” mayor Leonard Krog said during Monday’s council meeting of the temporary supportive housing at 250 Terminal Ave. “One could not describe what’s happened at 250 Terminal Ave. as a success…none of us are happy.”

Safety concerns around the site dominated discussion at the council meeting, with an official delegation and numerous speakers during question period. Councillors heard how residents in the area are now afraid to leave their houses at night, are often accosted when they do at any time of day and have noticed a significant spike in crime.

Mayor Krog and coun. Sheryl Armstrong were the most in agreement with the residents who came before council and answered the most questions or gave the most responses.

Krog said the first month after the 80 units of temporary housing opened in December was not in line with what he’d hoped.

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The doors were opened after a breakneck construction period of roughly 170 units of housing at two sites in Nanaimo. It was prompted by the closure of downtown Nanaimo’s tent city following a lengthy battle fought in the courts and the community.

Krog called the provincial response to the homelessness and tent city crisis “clumsily-handled to say the least. And unfortunately, the victims of it are many.”

Coun. Armstrong also expressed her concerns about the process, which happened without prior community consultation.

“The housing first model doesn’t work,” Armstrong told the fourth presenter about the issue of the night.

“Unless we get detox and treatment, the problem isn’t going away….all the studies now are showing that for those with drug addictions they need treatment first and then housing.”

Armstrong indicated she would make a motion directing City staff to begin the process of naming 250 Terminal Ave. a nuisance property. Such a designation would mean the cost of police responses to the site would be placed on housing operators Island Crisis Care Society and BC Housing.

Though the announcement of her intention was met with rapturous applause from the packed gallery, it never came to pass on Monday night.

Though details couldn’t be discussed in an open meeting, attempts at change and solutions appear to be in the works.

Krog and coun. Ian Thorpe referenced in-camera discussions ahead of Monday’s council meeting about the security concerns and threats around the supportive housing project.

“Quite frankly, some of the processes and checks and balances have not been put in place as quickly as they should have been,” Thorpe said. “I am hopeful that will improve in the near-future.”

“We expect a great deal to happen in the next couple of weeks,” Krog assured. “If it doesn’t, I can say this council will do whatever it can to ensure there is a far more effective response from Island Crisis Care Society and BC Housing.”

The temporary supportive housing created on City-owned land on Labieux Rd., which houses roughly 65 people, was barely referenced in any of the discussions.

spencer@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @spencer_sterrit