It is not good enough just to stick people somewhere

Re: “Supportive housing developments in Penticton,” (Herald, July 16).

I appreciate Coun. Julius Bloomfield’s column on supportive housing developments in Penticton. It is always good to know what councillors are thinking.

His proposal of a performance bond to ensure good behavior is an excellent one. However, what happens if the insurance lapses for whatever reason years down the road? Any tenements built on the three-motel property on the south end of town purchased by BC Housing are likely to be there for the next 50 years. Unfortunately, a performance bond also clearly makes the point that it is there because it is needed. That alone should tell you it is a band aid fix and the wrong solution.

Tenements are prolific in large cities. Politicians generally see it as a quick-fix feel-good proposition leaving problem communities for future generations when they are long gone. That is not good enough.

Kelowna too appears to be taking the easy way out. Tenements as affordable housing are an old concept. They sponsor generations of future criminals as children grow up in that environment and experience life outside the normal bonds of living. We can and we should do better and expect more from our politicians.

The one glaring omission in Bloomfield’s column was quality of life for the occupants of tenements. While the performance bond can help reduce crime affecting the outside community, it does nothing to ensure that future generations of kids growing up in these projects are living in crime-free environments with community role-models allowing them to become responsible law-abiding citizens. That is why smaller units scattered throughout the city is a better option. Peer pressure and rolemodeling produce future generations.

If BC Housing is going to go ahead with the three-motel project, then they need to build diversity to ensure that they get away from the tenement concept which would be a disaster for ongoing generations of kids ruined by that quick-fix mentality.

It is not good enough to just stick people somewhere. The aim must be to improve the quality of life for the occupants and the surrounding community. By doing that we also ensure quality of life for future generations in the area; reduce crime and build a stronger crime-free city.