Supportive Social Housing enters Nanaimo's North End

Post started as draft on 14th posted on 17th

The issue of Supportive Social Housing has reared its ugly head once again with the recent announcement of the location for housing in the North End of Nanaimo. I'm not going to go into a long diatribe about why I support this type of housing, my views can be seen on previous posts on the subject. Below are news stories to date, September 17th as well as a letter to the editor by me and a couple against the concept of Supportive Social Housing.

At the end of this post are comments from a housing provider in Seattle. They have 9 housing projects that house 800 with no conditions about sobriety and almost 100% accept services within 3 months. Very enlightening Comment.

When folk comment about abstinence based and a will to get clean they neglect to mention that Nanaimo has a number of small abstinence based houses, with more in the works, for people that have gone through treatment. What we need is a place to house people whom may at some point wish to access Detox and Treatment services. The Social Suppotive Housing ( Low Barrier) being built in Nanaimo will address this.

Bulletin
Sept 17 Invitation goes out to meet social housing clients
Sept 13 Uplands Drive identified for social housing
Sept 15 Editorial: Social housing needs open minds
Sept 16 Letter by me Social Housing needed city wide

Daily News
Sept. 15
Nanaimo housing strategy leaves city residents divided
Philip Wolf: Responsibility must be shared
Letter as published City must keep moving forward with housing
Sept 14
Government announces location of low barrier housing project
Editorial: North Nanaimo needs low-barrier project
Sept 13
Government refuses to say when it will announce location for new Nanimo low-barrier housing project

Letters against
Sept 17
Low-barrier housing does not belong in north end
Housing strategy about economics not people

This comment from a provider of Supportive Social Housing in Seattle seems to address what the above letters speak about;

"I would say that chronically homeless people are often mis-perceived as being dangerous when in actuality people who are living with major mental illnesses are no more assaultive than all the rest of us. Indeed, they are the victims of predatory crime, not the perpetrators. Your second question goes to the heart of the housing first concept, that being its services are not coerced. No one is forced to accept them. In our 9 housing projects with over 800 residents nearly 100% of the residents voluntarily accept services within 3 months of moving in. The reason is simple. Service providers in our housing projects are useful resources for residents helping them secure entitlement benefits, food, clothing and other life necessities as well as offering clinical treatment services."