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Community talks on supportive housing set for Nanaimo

B.C. Housing is launching community dialogues around affordable and supportive housing in Nanaimo at the same time neighbours are rallying against two planned projects. A lawsuit has been filed in the Supreme Court of B.C.
photo modular housing nanaimo
Artist's rendering of modular housing proposed for Labieux Road in Nanaimo.

B.C. Housing is launching community dialogues around affordable and supportive housing in Nanaimo at the same time neighbours are rallying against two planned projects.

A lawsuit has been filed in the Supreme Court of B.C. by a resident hoping to halt one of the supportive housing projects, planned for Terminal Avenue.

Two-hour community meetings and online question-and-answer sessions are planned, said Dominic Flanagan, executive director for strategic initiatives for B.C. Housing. So far, eight meetings are planned.

Each meeting would have about 25 participants, he said.

Small meetings are preferred over larger town-hall settings because they allow for more “substantive and richer dialogue to take place,” he said.

To join a meeting, sign up online at letstalkhousingbc.ca/nanaimo.

“This is the start of the process,” Flanagan said.

The question of where homeless citizens should live and what kind of services are needed is at the fore in Nanaimo, where a six-month-old tent city is being dismantled.

A point-in-time survey found 335 homeless people in Nanaimo, although some believe the figure is higher.

Homelessness is a complex issue and not everyone has the same needs. Some people might need affordable housing, but do not require supportive housing, which provides a variety of services, Flanagan said.

According to B.C. Housing, those supports can include life-skills training and connections to primary health care, mental health or substance-use services.

B.C. has bought vacant land on Terminal Avenue and signed a three-year lease with the city for a Labieux Road property. Each site is to hold modular supportive housing, now being adapted for its new residents.

Island Crisis Care Society has been hired to manage the Terminal Avenue site, and Pacifica Housing is to manage the Labieux Road building.

A total of 170 units will be available, mainly for residents from the tent city, which at one point was home to about 300 campers. The tent city has been ordered by the Supreme Court of B.C. to be closed by month’s end.

Neighbours of each property were unhappy to learn that the supportive housing projects were being set up and two petitions were started. They worry about possible drug-related problems and crime.

Janet Buechler, who owns property next to the Terminal site, has started a suit in B.C. Supreme Court against the City of Nanaimo, the B.C. Housing Management Commission, the Provincial Rental Housing Corporation, and Island Crisis Care Society. She is seeking a declaration that Island Crisis Care Society is subject to municipal zoning rules.

The Terminal property is made up of six parcels that hold a variety of zonings, including single-dwelling residential, medium-density residential, and mixed-use corridor, according to the court document. The province is not obliged to go through a normal rezoning process at the municipal level to change the use of land it owns.

Buechler is arguing that while the province is exempt, the Island Crisis Care Society — the user of the lands and the modular housing — is not.

B.C. Housing documents state that the long-term plan is to replace the temporary modular housing on the Terminal Avenue property with permanent housing. It would be subject to the municipal approval process.

Buechler’s lawsuit follows one in Parksville, where opponents to another modular supportive housing project being installed by the province are arguing that nearby property owners were not properly informed about the proposed rezoning, which was approved by council.

cjwilson@timescolonist.com

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B.C. HOUSING EVENTS

Live online question-and-answer session — Thursday, Nov. 22, between 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.

The event will provide information about supportive housing and questions will be answered. To take part, go to letstalkhousingbc.ca/nanaimo. Questions can be submitted before or during the event.

Community dialogue sessions will include a presentation on what supportive housing is, its operation, and the development of community advisory committees. Question-and-answer periods follow. The location has still to be determined.

Additional meetings may be held if there is enough interest.

To attend, send an email to communityrelations@bchousing.org stating your choice of the times.

• Nov. 21:

Session 1: 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Session 2: 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

• Nov. 27:

Session 1: 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Session 2: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

• Nov. 28:

Session 1: 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Session 2: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

• Nov. 29:

Session 1: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Session 2: 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.p