Quesnel City Council has tweaked it’s proposed Zoning Amendment Bylaw to potentially relocate the homeless shelter.
Tanya Turner is the Director of Development Services…
“The purpose is to amend the proposed zoning bylaw amendment to change the definition of supportive housing to remove the term “clinical” and replace with “on site” to provide clarity to the intended support services proposed to be offered on site for the proposed Elliott Street Supportive Housing Development.”
The idea is that the supportive services would only be for the residents in the building.
Those services include life skills training, connections to primary healthcare, and mental health and substance abuse services.
There is some concern however, including from Mayor Bob Simpson, about the shelter component of this supportive housing project…
“The way that it is being operated out of Seasons House is drop-in. The way a shelter is supposed to be is registered clients that are actually in a client service delivery model that are going to be moved on in the housing continuum, that are going to be provided with services.”
Simpson says it has turned into a bit of a “flop house” and he’s concerned that that model will be the way it is at the new facility.
He says the emergency shelter beds are also a de facto drop-in service that Council needs to give some thought to.
BC Housing will hold an Open House on the project on December 13th at 5 o’clock at the Seniors Centre.
That will be followed by a Public Hearing hosted by the City of Quesnel at 7.