Supportive housing a concern in Sechelt as government buys 2 more properties

The District of Sechelt is raising alarm bells after the B.C. government purchased two properties in the village — one for a complex care facility and one for a supportive housing facility.

“There is no question we need these sort of supports for people but the issue is the concentration in downtown,” John Henderson, Mayor of the District of Sechelt, told Global News.

“There’s a real concern for businesses and the neighbours and that’s why we need to come up with something better, frankly.”

The 20-bed complex care facility would be located on Ebbtide Street, and the 40-bed supportive housing facility would be located across from the current supportive housing facility.

Henderson said the downtown area has already experienced issues with crime and street disorder.

“We’ve got a small number of people that are causing a lot of issues with crime,” he said. “They are bad actors.”

Henderson said residents deserve to feel safe and secure in their homes and he has heard that there are concerns about doubling the number of housing units available in a small area.

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“I’d like to see other sites. You don’t put all restaurants in one tight little area, you spread them out… I’d like to see us move them around, perhaps across the coast,” he said.

Henderson said the district was not consulted by the provincial government, but he would like to invite Housing Minister Christine Boyle and MLA Randene Neill to visit the area and talk with the residents.

He admitted it might sound like nimbyism to some, but there needs to be a balance.

“We need to be aware of everybody’s requirements and it seems like right now the pendulum has swung too far to one side and it needs to come back somewhere in the middle.”

Henderson said there have been vandalism and assaults in their community and the wraparound support that people living in supportive housing need does not seem to be present.

1:43 Sechelt seniors centre struggles to meet growing food need

Boyle said those services are available.

“These are important services that provide wraparound care for people who need it and bring people out of tents and inside,” she told Global News on Tuesday.

“They improve safety for those people and for the whole community. Finding sites is challenging, and we’ve been working across the lower Sunshine Coast as well as up in Powell River on delivering supportive housing, affordable housing and more.”

Boyle said the government works in communities all over the province to bring people out of tents, off the streets and indoors with the support they need.

“I look forward to continuing to work alongside the mayor and council to ensure that these new homes and complex care beds are effective and work well in the community and increase safety for the community and the individuals who need them,” she said.