More housing for homeless, Rook urges
The incoming head of the Calgary Homeless Foundation says city council should look at expanding secondary suites as part of efforts to end homelessness in the city.
John Rook will take over as president and chief executive of the Calgary Homeless Foundation on Aug. 13 after longtime president Tim Richter departs to lead the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness.
Rook holds a PhD in philosophy from Oxford University. chaired the National Council of Welfare and has helped run a series of Calgary social agencies, including Potential Place, the Alex Community Health Centre and Salvation Army Community Services.
While buoyed by the Calgary Homeless Foundation’s successes in its 10-year plan to end homelessness — which has seen more than 3,500 people receive housing and support so far — Rook said there’s still plenty to be done.
“We need to be proactive around things like secondary suites,” Rook said. “That’s a way to capture some housing pretty quick. If we do work on secondary suites, I know city council has resisted that, but it’s a quick win. There’s lots of places who have used the secondary-suite route to increase their housing stock considerably.”
Secondary suites have been a divisive issue at council.
Last year, Mayor Naheed Nenshi pushed for blanket rezoning to allow suites in most residential neighbourhoods, but the majority of aldermen voted against the plan.
Ald. Gord Lowe said the provisions that allow for secondary suites in new neighbourhoods, but limit them in most established communities without specific rezoning, is striking the right balance.
“Any idea that simply legitimizing them across the city, including in established areas, will suddenly make illegal and unsafe suites safe is pure myth,” said Lowe.
He also said the issue has been “explored to death” and that it’s time to shift the focus to asking the province for more funds.
Rook isn’t arguing that opening secondary suites across Calgary will completely resolve homelessness. However, he said it should be part of a broader solution. In addition to securing affordable housing for the current homeless population through subsidies, secondary suites or new construction, Rook said plans must be put in place to house those expected to move to Calgary.
Ensuring people can earn a living wage is also critical, because the working poor often make too little to afford the first and last months’ rent required to get an apartment.
“Minimum wage is inadequate in Calgary. It’s $9.40 (per hour), or $9.05 if you serve alcohol. There’s nobody who can live on that kind of money,” Rook said.
Finally, Rook said he wants to see more of a focus on keeping the vulnerable in their homes before crisis hits, by consulting with health-care and mental health professionals, child and family services and others to provide pre-emptive supports.
“If you are standing at Niagara Falls with your kids, or some kids you are on a school trip on, and one of them is about to fall in, would you rather have a lifeboat at the bottom or would you rather have a railing at the top?” Rook said.