A hard look at housing
It’s in the news, people are talking about it and it’s there in plain sight for all who want to see it: Housing in Greater Victoria is a major issue.
In fact, it’s major enough that survey respondents for the 2017 Victoria Vital Signs report identified housing as the single most important issue facing Greater Victoria, ahead of cost of living, mental health and addictions.
When we talk about housing, there are a few different facets, such as homelessness, high realestate prices, low rental vacancies, rising rents, a deficit of supportive housing, development — the list goes on. The truth is, though, it’s all related.
Greater Victoria is in a period of transition, and with all change comes growing pains. We haven’t yet succeeded in balancing this rampant growth with helping those who are having a hard time keeping up with it. So you end up with tent cities and high rents and people struggling to keep a roof over their heads.
The region is growing and as it does, we have to make sure we don’t leave those most vulnerable to these issues behind. Luckily, we have myriad kind, committed people and organizations working on this issue every day, from government agencies and politicians to a host of non-profits and charities.
To take a hard look at the issue of housing in Greater Victoria, we decided to devote the most recent episode of our Vital Victoria podcast to exploring this issue in depth. To do so, we sat down with Saanich Mayor Richard Atwell to discuss the recent developments with the district’s tent city, along with his views on the future of housing both in Saanich and the region as a whole.
We also paid a visit to the supportive housing now found at the site of the old Tally Ho pub to meet Victoria Cool Aid Society director Deanna Bhandar. Bhandar talks about the intention behind and the results of the project there, as well as Cool Aid’s efforts in the region generally to help provide much-needed housing.
Both conversations reach beyond the headlines to provide a real insider’s perspective on these issues. I hope you’ll take a listen.
You can find the podcast on iTunes, Google Play or on our website at victoriafoundation.bc.ca.