Dear editor,
I thank Ellen Rainwalker for her excellent letter (Is it time to sacrifice some luxury to better serve our homeless?) expressing her support for the people of our city who are presently not housed.
As anyone who goes downtown can see, there is a group of about 50 people who are camped out beside the Connect Centre. They are individuals with complex and unique needs who currently do not have a roof over their heads. At the same time, many of us live in a warm, safe home with money to spend on entertainment and good food. What is wrong with this picture?
The City of Courtenay seems to be waiting for B.C. Housing to step up with the money to fund a 24-hour shelter. But that could be quite some time. Meanwhile, the people we see every day on our streets are suffering in miserable conditions.
Whatever their special needs might be, every day these needs become greater without adequate support. This is becoming a crisis.
What creative solutions can we come up with to provide shelter and support for our homeless neighbours? It might include voting for (another)* increase in property taxes specifically allocated for housing and shelters. But the election is not until October. Can we wait even this long for some relief? Could the city borrow money to renovate an existing empty space and provide staffing? We need to ask these questions of our mayor and council.
Bev Harris,
Courtenay
*Editor’s note: In 2015, Comox Valley residents voted to adopt a bylaw to address, and hopefully eradicate homelessness in the Comox Valley. Bylaw 389 The tax has collected $1,912,313 from Comox Valley residents (Comox residents notwithstanding) since its inception in 2016.