After roughly two hours discussing a potential temporary emergency shelter in Williams Lake, no clear decision was made.
The 24/7 shelter, which would be located in the former Elks Hall building (98 1st Avenue), would bring in 40 beds and give anyone staying connection to services to support a transition to more permanent housing.
Strong opinions, both supportive and against from council and community members were given, with one of the main concerns being safety outside the location.
Director of Regional Development, Tyler Baker says community safety isn’t just between Canadian Mental Health Association and BC Housing, but also between the community, the City, RCMP, and Interior Health.
“When somebody leaves the shelter and they’re no longer a guest, CMHA doesn’t have any control over what that person does anymore.” says Baker.
“Issues with property and safety out in the community, those are the responsibility of the City, and if it’s a criminal matter, the RCMP.”
Baker added that the safety is going to come through ongoing communication, and the community would have information on who to call for different issues.
Another concern brought up was how short notice this was, giving the community little time to form a fleshed out opinion on the matter, and if there’s potential to use a different site.
During the delegation, BC Housing noted that it took them nearly two years to find this location that would work for their five year plan, and looking for a new one could be complex depending on the property.
“If there’s publicly owned land that’s available that the City or some other public agency has, that could be a great option.” says Baker.
‘We’re open to evaluating those, but privately leased land, there’s more considerations than just what we want. It has to be available, we have to enter into negotiations with the owner for a lease for an appropriate amount of time.”
Council voted on extending the decision by two weeks, allowing the community to write in whether or not they’re in support, and provide a solution by the evening of Sunday, March 24th.
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