By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: October 14, 2008
The development of affordable housing could be fast-tracked if Vernon joins a provincial program. On Tuesday, council instructed city staff to enter into negotiations with B.C. Housing for the provincial homelessness initiative. “This is really what we’ve been waiting for,” said Annette Sharkey, with the Social Planning Council, one of the local organizations involved in the housing issue. Under the initiative, the city could provide land for an affordable housing project, as well as looking at zoning, development cost charges and taxes. B.C. Housing would provide the construction and operating costs for the project. “This is potentially millions of dollars of funding for our community,” said Sharkey. Sharkey believes the initiative could particularly benefit a housing project proposed for Pleasant Valley Road by the Vernon Land Trust Society and Transition House. While support for negotiations was unanimous among council, there were some concerns. “We don’t want this community to become a haven for every homeless person across the province. I want to make sure this is for the truly at risk,” said Coun. Barry Beardsell.
A person is defined as being at risk of homelessness, if they spend more than 30 per cent of their household income on shelter. Sharkey said there are residents who are currently spending more than 30 per cent, and that’s why it is so important to look at tackling the matter. “A healthy community has a range of housing options.” While there has been a focus on emergency homeless shelters, the next step is to provide stable, permanent housing for people. The Partners In Action group has set a target of providing 200 non-market housing units over three years. A consultant has also been hired to work with non-profit organizations to create business plans for new housing projects.
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