Image Credit: Mel Rothenburger

By Mel Rothenburger

ARMCHAIR MAYOR

ROTHENBURGER: The Armchair strikes back on Columbia West housing

Oct 31, 2020 | 6:53 AM

‘SO PRAY TELL US MEL, what neighbourhood would be good for social housing? Let me guess… the North Shore right?”

That’s what Gail Paton thought of my editorial this week in which I contended that the hotel-motel row on Columbia Street West is the wrong place for social housing.

“Ah, NIMBY,” commented Adina Anne. “That same tired, bigoted, pointless argument from a pointless old man. Shocking.”

As is your prejudice against senior citizens, ma’am. But these two comments, which were among dozens in reaction to the column, sum up a couple of common threads. One is that any suggestion that Columbia Street West is the wrong place for social housing must be NIMBYism.

The other is that because the North Shore has received so much social housing, it’s about time the South Shore got more, too. Anywhere.

Boogie The Bridge

Boogie The Bridge Event Information

Apr 19, 2024

Two and Out

PETERS: Try as he might, Allan Schoenborn will never be forgotten

4h ago

One Man's Opinion

COLLINS: Sorry - did you say, 'Take your old guns to the post office?'

10h ago

I concluded quite a while ago that some people read opinion pieces without really reading them. They absorb whatever fits their already formed opinions and ignore the rest. So never mind that the editorial stressed that we’re dealing with human beings who deserve shelter. Never mind that it said there are bad characters among them but that only some are bad.

And, never mind that the editorial said Columbia Street West is the wrong place for them, not that there shouldn’t be any place for them.

So, let’s break the issue into parts so you can better understand where I’m coming from.

It’s self-evident that hotel/motel rooms weren’t designed for social housing. They’re supposed to be for one- or two- or three-night stays.

Would those who took such exception to the editorial argue that putting elementary school kids in harm’s way is acceptable in the name of social housing? Is it a good thing to create an environment in which murder and other violence occur a stone’s throw from their classrooms?

I know what my answer is. Those who say, “Prove those police incidents had anything to do with moving low-income people into the motels” are grasping at straws to support their argument.

Listen to what people who live there are saying about those incidents, and look at the record of negative consequences when social housing is poorly designed or put in the wrong place.

“So, you’re saying Mel that we should look for some kind of Gulag? To put the undesirables?” asked Lynda Worth.

Not at all but there are criteria that contribute greatly to success. Ideally, supportive housing shouldn’t look much different from the outside than any other kind of housing.

Experts say social/ supportive/ subsidized housing should include a mix of demographics — different ages, different incomes, different ethnic origins. They say it should be mixed use, with retail that creates job opportunities for residents. They say there should be 24/7 live-in supervision, counselling and, in some cases, access to medical assistance on-site.

They say it must be flexible and adaptable to individual needs — young people, addicted people and so on. They say there should be public open spaces. They say it should be close to public transit. They say the building design should complement others nearby. And they say it should be designed with ease of maintenance in mind.

This is a tall order, one that is being met to varying degrees in social housing projects across the country. These things improve the lives of the residents and reduce conflicts with surrounding neighbourhoods. But they don’t describe Columbia Street West.

Finding the right location for social housing is a big challenge. A couple of decades ago, residents in the McDonald Park area objected mightily to a new social-housing apartment planned for Spirit Square because they felt the North Shore was getting more than its fair share of social services.

The council of the day, of which I was part, said no to that location and an alternative was found on Halston, where Victory Inn now operates without major issues.

But the current City council forgot about that lesson and built Spero House on Tranquille Road in a busy commercial zone. Fortunately, Spero House so far seems to be free of major conflicts with the immediate neighbourhood. And a new development at Spirit Square will provide both social and market housing in a much more forward-thinking approach.

Even with all of our experience with social housing, we’re still learning. When Rosethorne House opened on Victoria Street West, crime spiked. Some business owners had to stay up all night guarding their premises against break-ins. They found needles and feces on their door steps (similar to what neighbours on Columbia Street West are being subjected to), and witnessed incidents of sex for drugs even during daylight hours.

The situation was so bad it made it to Question Period in the B.C. Legislature. There was no question about the source of this disruption. Keep in mind, Rosethorne was designed as social housing (unlike the Columbia Street West zone), and is supervised. With proper measures, the situation has improved.

The good news is that with good design and precautions, supportive housing can fit into and even complement a neighbourhood. It can bring stability and pride to the lives of its residents.

Housing, of course, is only part of the need. The rest is providing mental health services, addiction services, medical services not just in housing but on the street.

Considering its limitations, Kamloops’ social housing works relatively well. Imperfectly but well, with occasional exceptions. Columbia Street West certainly isn’t one of them because it was never designed for social housing. We don’t need instant ghettos or Gulags.

I commend those who advocate for social housing but please don’t advocate blindly; let’s not ignore problematic behaviour. That does no one any good. There’s a world of difference between folks who find themselves in need of a helping hand but do no harm, versus those who engage in disruptive, illegal and violent activity.

For the latter, we do our best to understand root causes and to find solutions but there’s no excuse for knowingly creating circumstances that put the public in fear.

In theory, at least, the City and BC Housing could buy up three or four of those motels and totally redesign them with proper social housing in mind. When that happens, get back to me.

Until then, I’m with the neighbourhood.

Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

—

Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group.