Image credit: CFJC Today

By Chad Klassen

Social Housing

Social housing amendment gives Kamloops council more flexibility

Mar 10, 2021 | 5:34 PM

KAMLOOPS — After a contentious and lengthy debate last week about requirements for new social housing projects – the motion was amended by council on Tuesday (March 9).

BC Housing, not social agencies, would be responsible for providing wraparound services when council feels they’re needed. The motion initially caused major blowback from ASK Wellness and others.

“Unfortunately, it seems we’re putting all the homeless people into this category, and the service providers into the same category that we’re the problem,” said ASK Wellness Executive Director Bob Hughes said.

After the motion passed 5-3, Councillor Dale Bass reached out to social agencies and changed her tune. While some argued the revised language takes the teeth out of the original motion, Bass thinks differently.

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“I think the teeth were a little too sharp in the original motion to begin with, but it also clarifies what Councillor [Bill] Sarai’s intention was,” Bass said. “The agencies are not going to be asked to pay for this stuff. BC Housing has to. In the case of nursing care, I would hope that it would be [Interior Health] providing the nurses.”

In revisiting the motion, Bass wanted to ensure BC Housing would bare more financial responsibility for the projects it builds.

“BC Housing comes in, it builds housing, off it goes, and it’s up to the city and agencies to deal with that problem that it poses. That’s not fair,” Bass noted.

The revised motion passed unanimously on Tuesday, and many belive it gives the city more discretion to determine which social housing units will need security and extra services, and others that don’t.

“All BC Housing projects are not created equal and they’re meant to serve different populations, and the needs of those populations vary,” Mayor Ken Christian, who opposed the original motion last week, said. “I think what we did yesterday was put a little criteria around where and when we would be looking for nursing supports, mental health and addiction supports, as well as security.”

Council hopes the revised language of the motion will reduce barriers to new housing projects.