A resident has expressed her concerns to Powell River City Council about a planned new supportive housing facility near qathet General Hospital.
At the October 8 committee of the whole meeting, Lorraine Emmonds said she was a retired registered psychiatric nurse who spent 32 of her 44 career years working in Powell River.
“I was born and raised in this small, isolated community where everyone looks out for one another,” said Emmonds.
Emmonds said being aware of the proposal for another building to house homeless people, and out of similar concern to many other community members, she wrote a letter to voice her concerns, directed to BC Housing.
“I am very much supportive of social and low-income housing if it is supplied appropriately and efficiently,” said Emmonds. “These services must be comprehensive and wrap around in such a fashion that not only are the recipients willing and active participants, but they must also be accountable. Our town has seen so many changes with loss of employment. Citizens still want to support our own, to have affordable housing, food, education and careers in which people can succeed and move on to be contributing members of society.
“The influx of and continued support of people who are freely taking from others is unacceptable, however. Everyone is aware that when something goes missing, the first place to look is at the Lift building, but most are also aware of the physical dangers of doing so.”
Emmonds said there are many really great and wonderful people living in the supportive housing facility and many have physical, mental health, substance use or general life issues that have resulted in them requiring supportive housing, along with many other supports.
“Their life issues have led them to be vulnerable, and they are often readily taken advantage of by others,” added Emmonds.
She said another concern is that tenants sign residency agreements, which are supposed work two ways, but there are many concerns that these residents are getting far less than what the original goals and plans for the facility were. The service provider must also be accountable for delivering services, she added.
“If the stated services are not forthcoming, the whole intention of the service is jeopardized,” said Emmonds.
Emmonds outlined that family visits may be difficult because children are not allowed on the premises, due to safety issues, because of open substance use at the facility.
“Allowing open drug use on site anytime may feel wonderful to the ones who are using, until the point in time when they realize they have lost everything, including self-respect and physical health,” said Emmonds. “If you allow kids to have candy all day, whenever they want, it seems good until their teeth begin to rot out, and this is the same with drugs.”
Emmonds said she is a trained mental health first aid instructor and had a 40-plus years career in mental health and addictions. She said she is fully aware that the brief course and instructions that the front desk workers receive at the supportive housing facility is inadequate to deal with the ongoing issues at the facility.
Emmonds said a new supportive housing building run by the same organization is not a fix for the situation. She said there should be focus on a place of community and healing.
“Powell River has a decades-long history of welcoming and assisting people with a variety of disabilities,” said Emmonds. “We have a chance here to continue to expand on this vision. Let’s move forward with some wise decisions.
“What assurances do we have as a community that a second building following the same mandate would not fall into the same patterns as the Lift building, as it is falling short of its mandate.”
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