Nanaimo’s chronic homelessness problem is getting a fresh look under a new dedicated organization.
Don Bonner, a former city council member who serves as board chair for the Nanaimo Systems Planning Organization, said the first order of business will be to build connections with non-profits serving Nanaimo’s unhoused populations and develop a strategic plan in collaboration with the community.
An estimated 650 people are living without homes in the area, although some, such as the Wisteria Community Association, say the figure is closer to 800.
The association takes hot meals every night to four delivery stations in the city of about 100,000.
With shelters typically filling up nightly in Nanaimo, people often camp in parks and bushes — wherever they can find a place.
Homelessness is often linked to mental health and addictions issues and affordable rental units are in short supply.
The province announced in its latest budget that it was dedicating $586 million to treatment and recovery beds and is embarking on housing initiatives, as well.
The creation of the Nanaimo Systems Planning Organization stems from the health and housing action plan adopted by the city in 2021, which pointed to the need for an independently run organization to develop a co-ordinated approach.
The nine-member board is made up of members from the city, Snuneymuxw First Nation and Nanaimo Prosperity Corp. — the city’s economic development body — as well as people who have worked in the housing and health sectors, and community members with board experience.
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