Image Credit: BC Housing / File

By Mel Rothenburger

Armchair Mayor

ROTHENBURGER: Some questions for BC Housing on the Rosethorn facility

Dec 8, 2021 | 4:26 AM

IS ROSETHORN HOUSE a success, a failure or something in between?

The Victoria Street West supportive housing facility has been controversial since Day One, with businesses in the area complaining about crime rates since it opened almost two years ago.

Both the Canadian Mental Health Association — which manages the facility — and BC Housing speak glowingly of the results achieve at Rosethorn House, declaring that it’s “changing lives.”

A Kamloops lawyer, acting on behalf of business owners including car-lot owner Reid Hamer-Jackson, wants to know more. David McMillan has written a five-page letter to BC Housing questioning some of the claims made about the project.

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In particular, McMillan points to a BC Housing report from July of this year that suggested Rosethorn House has delivered highly positive results.

The letter makes note of the fact that the report is based on a resident survey that drew responses from only 23 of the 42 residents and that the results were presented in percentages. It says 41 per cent reported no change in addiction issues and nine percent said their issues had worsened.

And while the report said 91 per cent felt they enjoyed positive interactions with others in the neighbourhood, the letter says no neighbours were surveyed “and the experiences of West Victoria Street residents, employees and business owners that were reported directly to you were entirely ignored” in the report.

A few other points made in the letter:

– no data on emergency responses.

– no data on the retention and turnover rate from inception to the time of the report.

– no information on where residents went when they left.

McMillan’s letter concludes by saying a “rigorous and even-handed standard of accountability” appears to be “woefully lacking” and suggests a need for more public consultation and transparency.

Considering the debate that has swirled around Rosethorn House, the letter raises some good questions. The answers should be interesting.

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

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.

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