Mayors seek housing pilot project to help the most needy

Kelowna’s mayor is welcoming the province’s agreement to work with municipalities to accelerate B.C.’s response to addressing the ongoing mental health, substance use and homelessness crises.

On Friday, in a joint release with Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps, Colin Basran, who co-chairs the B.C. Urban Mayors’ Caucus with Helps, said it was good to see priorities laid out in the document Blueprint for British Columbia’s Urban Future reflected in the provincial ministers’ mandate letters.

But more is needed, the mayors say. “We are seeing historic investments from the province to build more affordable housing, which is serving the needs of many people in our communities.

“Yet even with this unprecedented effort, people with complex needs are falling through the cracks and aren’t being served by the supportive housing models and programs currently available.”

Later, Basran told The Daily Courier what is needed is help for those with the most complex needs who are still living on the streets, people who are getting into the type of social housing that is currently being built in cities across B.C. by the province.

Basran and Helps said the mayors’ caucus wants to work with Minister Responsible for Housing David Eby, Minister of Mental Health, Addictions Sheila Malcolmson and the entire provincial government to develop a fivesite pilot project for 40- to 50-unit complex care housing sites within a year.

It’s proposed one site would be located on Vancouver Island, one in the North, one in the Interior and two in the Lower Mainland.

Basran said he would like to see the Interior site in Kelowna. But he said, the exact locations, and what each sites would offer has yet to be determined.

“This five-site pilot project is the necessary first step in filling a gap in the continuum of housing and health care to meet the needs of vulnerable people who require mental health and substance use supports and services unique to their needs,” he said.

“Some of them may need extra supports on a pathway to recovery. Some of them may need to be in this kind of care longer term. This pilot project is an opportunity to learn on a small-scale, five-site basis and then — building on the learnings — to create additional sites in communities across the province.”

Basran said the pilot project could help address concerns some residents in the city have with seeing people on the street exhibiting erratic and “scary” behaviour. Those people, he said have some of the most complex issues and need specialized help.

“We need a full spectrum of housing and a full spectrum of supports,” said Basran.

According to the mayors, the challenges communities in B.C. are facing are expanding faster than the solutions.

“Our vulnerable residents are at risk without proper health supports to meet their complex needs, said Basran and Helps. “Our residents and business owners are frustrated. And economic recovery from the pandemic will be compromised without action now. It’s time to try new approaches.”

The release was issued after the two mayors met with Eby and Malcolmson to discuss strengthening mental health and substance use supports.

In recent years, Kelowna has seen a large provincial investment in housing for the homeless but the city continues to lobby for program funding to help those who get off the streets once they are housed. What is being called for now would take that a step farther.

The city is implementing its Journey Home initiative to address homelessness, with the goal of getting the number to functionally zero by 2024. Issues such as mental health and substance abuse have been identified as major contributors to homelessness. But effort has been complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last year’s Point In Time headcount of the homeless in the city showed a 4% increase since 2018, despite the addition of several multi-unit, and controversial social housing developments in Kelowna during that time.

And the fact the public is still seeing people with the most complex needs on the street has many of his residents concerned, said Basran.