BC Housing will appear before a future Squamish council meeting to present details of a temporary transitional housing project that has drawn hundreds of emails from residents and prompted a councillor to concede that the rollout has fallen short. Local businesses have also called for more consultation on the downtown housing proposal.
The presentation follows a motion from Councillor Jenna Stoner, passed by council earlier this month, requesting that BC Housing and District staff brief elected officials on the delivery and engagement strategy for the HEART and HEARTH program. A date has not yet been set.
In a social media post, Councillor Stoner said the project, part of a provincial initiative announced for Squamish in February, has raised questions, concerns and fear in the community, particularly after a six-month lease at 37956 Loggers Lane, also known as Xwu’nekw Park, was published to allow BC Housing to carry out due diligence work on the site.
“For a project that was going to be sensitive to navigate with our community, this put us even further back from the starting point, and we — along with BC Housing who is the project proponent — will have to do better going forward,” Stoner wrote.
She emphasized that no site has been selected, and that the project team is continuing to evaluate both District-owned and non-District-owned locations. BC Housing has since launched a project webpage and a community FAQ, which Stoner said helps put factual information into the public domain but does not answer every question.
Stoner said she has received upwards of 500 emails from residents and is continuing to work through them.
At a recent council meeting, Stoner pointed to a point-in-time count that identified 125 people in Squamish in need of immediate housing. More than 73 percent have lived in Squamish for over a year, she said, and 50 percent have lived in the community for more than five years.
“These are folks who just need a place to call home,” she said.
Stoner also addressed calls for a formal public hearing, explaining that provincial legislation prohibits one because supportive housing is an allowable use across all municipal zones. “I want to set clear expectations that a formal public hearing is not possible,” she said, while maintaining that the District and the province are still obligated to carry out substantive public engagement.
The District has said BC Housing and municipal staff will share information, answer questions and gather feedback on any site that meets the project criteria, with the stated goal of balancing community needs while prioritizing safety, dignity and quality of life.
This is very interesting and quite surprising! Jenna Stoner clearly has a large heart and so do I but the heart cannot be allowed rule without the use of common sense! Seems to me ‘ common sense’ is no longer considered a quality needed to be part of our Council. Land use is a municipal obligation. The Province may impose use on us but not without legislation that I believe that would be site specific. Perhaps the District of Squamish Council have determined the Province knows best on how we should build for our future. So far the Province is leaving us high and dry so not sure why our Council is not fighting back. It is time to show some backbone and stand up for what makes common sense and what we the people who voted for Council would like! We do not have the infrastructure to support the present zoning which once again we had no say in. We do not have parking in neighborhoods to support all the suites that are in existence. We are closing our eyes to all the utility fees the District is missing out on and which those of us who do not have suites or those few with legal suites are having to subsidize today ( about 1800.00 per suite!). We do not have adequate housing for seniors or those who can no longer live in their present homes. Staff do not recommend housing alternatives to multi family and multi storied homes . Foolishness. Mobile home parks provide affordable housing but Council is not interested in that type of affordability. Why? Mobile homes are a very affordable opportunity for many of our young people to get a start or for seniors, who can no longer do stairs or look after large yards, to age in place. Our hospital is far too small to support our current population. People needing long term care are taking up probably a third of the acute care beds in our hospital as the waiting list for Hilltop is at least 2 years. The same waiting time applies to Shannon Falls , the only assisted care facility in our region. B.C. Housing , who we seem to have established a very warm relationship with is letting us down at every turn. . This temporary housing solution for 60 or so units only needed because the Province pulled B.C, Housings subsidized affordable housing on Government road. It will not likely be built within the next 5 years and I am told the “temporary” site is for the duration until the project on Government Road is built! Unless s a Councillor can find me an encampment that is well cared and populated by individuals who are responsible our downtown will become a disgrace. It is interesting to know that 30% of our homeless today have moved in within the last year and less that 50% have lived here 5 years. We are not building to accommodate our own growth but an overflow for the streets of Vancouver and the Lower Mainland.