As Vernon continues to grapple with how to deal with homeless camps, the province says it is spending $291 million to build 2,000 “modular supportive housing units.”
However, it’s unclear whether any of those new units will be in Vernon. The province said it “is working with the city to assess whether modular units are the appropriate fit.”
But Vernon’s mayor is clear the city is hoping to get some of the supportive housing units after meeting with provincial ministers about housing and the opioid crisis.
“They are looking at more supportive housing,” Mayor Akbal Mund said, earlier this week. “We are hopefully on that list.”
“It is up to the province to decide which communities need that but like I say, our meetings with the ministers went really well. We are hopeful that we are on that list.”
The City of Vernon has been facing complaints from residents since a highly visible linear park became a popular hangout for the city’s homeless population, some of whom also camp there at night.
The province said “outreach workers are visiting the homeless campers on a regular basis.”