1 Nov 2023 Special Council meeting Safety

Discussion re: Options for a Warming Centre (Part one)

Motion
That Council: 1. Direct Staff to reallocate up to $230,000 from the Asset Retirement Obligation project surplus to fund warming centre services approximately between November 14, 2023 and March 31, 2024, 7 days per week; and 2. Authorize the Mayor and Corporate Officer to enter into a service agreement with Risebridge Society to: a. Provide warming centre services during identified service gaps; b. Mitigate impacts on the surrounding neighbourhood through good neighbourhood agreement requirements; 3. That a further call for expression of interest be posted for organizations willing and able to run an additional warming centre in Nanaimo; and, 4. If an additional site is found, that additional funds be identified.
Sources
Agenda itemCity agenda

Erin Hemmens Yes

And I just want to reiterate. Obviously a very needed service. We have a service organization who's approached us and said, we can do this, but I do have some reservations. There are other service providers in the community. If we knew that this money was able to be freed up in this way, that we seemed to be freeing it up today that I would like other service providers to be able to have a voice and saying, hey, we could also do that. So I'm just sharing that.

Leonard Krog Yes

That the media coverage of this and I'm relying on the community generally will draw attention to this, that there may be other providers in the community. And it's no disrespect for your eggs in one basket is making an assumption that everything will be fine and that they may not well be able to deliver the level of services that are necessary to the broad number of people are required. So that's why I just wanted to clarify this. So pardon the interruption in the flow here.
And any opposed. None motion carries. So we're back on the main motion as amended. I'm not seeing anyone else. I want to say a couple of words here. And I'm going to start with my incredible resentment. That in 2023. The City Council of the naimo even has to. Consider spending money on something which. Is clearly a provincial. Potentially Federal responsibility. And I'm going to play with a couple of numbers here and rounding up and down. So forgive me. We represent roughly 1% of the province's population. A ballpark. I think the provincial budget is over 60 billion annually. Now. 1% of that budget. Would be roughly. $6 billion. Pardon me. $600 million $600 million. It's suggested today we spend our budgets roughly 200 million. Spend what will amount. To a 10th of 1%. To provide Warming centers. You can argue it's not a lot of money and it isn't for the benefit that is received and the lives it may save. But 0.1% of quote unquote our share of the provincial budget, arguably. Would be $62 million. And I throw these figures out not to baffle anybody or confuse anybody. But this is at its heart a provincial responsibility, the solutions that will deal with. The significant. Problem of people suffering from addictions and mental health and trauma and brain injury are not going to get solved by cities providing warming centers. Or providing food to the numerous charities and to add to what I said earlier, all of those organizations in this community, including risebridge, the Churches, the various. Nonprofits who continue to provide services and assistance. All the good work they do is not going to fix this. It is not going to make that much difference. And so I come back to my point around my resentment. Not that my emotions. In this discussion matter. But. I suspect I speak for many in this community. Who. Are resentful as well, and tired and emotionally drained with having to see so many of our fellow citizens. And I'm going to pick out someone I've known for a long time who sagely just nodded. Former counselor fulla at my remarks. It's getting a bit tiresome. It's getting a bit tiresome. I will and happily support this. Clearly, the province isn't going to step up and do it. The federal government isn't going to step up and do it. And yet we're the people. Who represent the folks who pay for the services provide in the city by paying property taxes, not based on income tax, not based on taxes, progressive income taxation. It's based on property taxes and fees and licenses and a few other sources. This is not the way to deliver these kinds of public services and the fact that. We need to deliver these kinds of public services. Shelter spaces and warming centers. In this community, hundreds and hundreds of our fellow citizens and across this province, thousands of fellow citizens is to me, the ultimate condemnation of where we have allowed ourselves. And I take my full rule in it as well, collectively. To get to in the 21st century and it is appalling. So I want to express my thanks to all members of Council who've spoken today. I think we all know how this vote is going to go. It is what we can do. It is not what we should be doing or have to do. But that is the role that we have been given in the circumstances. It is either this or we just leave. As councilor hemmons has pointed out, none of us really believe just the straight count. Otherwise, we leave 800 of our fellow citizens out there in the streets. With no place to get warm during the day. Councilor prino has expressed it well today. Frustrating as this is so I'm not going to dribble on any longer. But I will say that. I hope the province hears us as the province hears from other British columbians who are all getting tired. I suspect there is a reason. That we are not seeing numerous. Not for profit agencies and other helping groups and churches step forward. Because precisely this is extremely challenging work. And we are dealing with a population, and I'm not going to get on my usual hobby horse about secure involuntary care for the worst cases. But we are dealing with a population that is hurt and damaged and to use a term that doesn't really work. But it's the only one that comes to my mind broken and need to be fixed. And we're not going to fix it by doing this today. But at least we are hopefully providing an opportunity for some folks to survive to the day when we will finally. Our emotions, if you will. Our compassion. Will be overcome. Finally. By senior governments who will commit the resources that are necessary to give some hope. To those in the streets. But as councilor Gesselbrock pointed out, those in our community who. Operate the businesses who deliver the services. Those in our community who continue. To try and keep order in our society. The most frustrating time of all. I thank you for your indulgence. And if I haven't inspired anyone to say anything else, all those in favor of the motion. Any opposed. None. Motion carries.

Ian Thorpe Yes

Councilor. Manly. No, thank you very much. Your worship. I appreciate your questions and comments because. I share those thoughts and also the comments of councilor Hemmens. First of all, I really appreciate. Mr. Lindsay and staff. Suggesting wording for this potential motion? Which councilor Brown. Has moved and I do support it. I'm also really pleased that staff have been able to identify a funding stream to. At least. Start to tackle this problem which is a very real problem. And although I always hesitate to step into areas which I feel is downloading from the provincial government, I have to say that apparently from what Mr. Lindsay tells us. And. What I know from past that daytime warming centers have never been a provincial responsibility or seen as such. So I am willing to step into this space. In terms of providers, I share some of the concerns that have been raised. We don't seem at this point to have identified a lot of options. If we were to do so for future. Keeping in mind that we will never totally be able to solve. This need in our community. Then I would want to examine those options when those come forward from staff along with the funding possibilities there. But one step at a time. And I think today is a good step. I would ask, though through you your worship, to staff that. Any such agreement, which is signed with a provider, I'm assuming would have very strict rules regarding accountability not only in terms of good neighbor policy and relationships, but also in terms of monetary accountability, where the money goes, how it's used, and so on, and. I look to staff if I may just for confirmation that that would be part because as Councillor perin. Perino quite rightly. Pointed out, this is taxpayer's money that we are using and we're using a fair chunk of it.
And I'll try not to interrupt you again, Council. No, thanks. Your Worship. It's all good, because that's exactly the point I wanted to focus on, because I wasn't comfortable with that additional funding be allocated. But I think the revised wording is satisfactory to myself. So I will support the amendment. And if I may.

Hilary Eastmure Yes

I'm definitely in support of this motion and. I'm also glad that councilor hemmens brought up the possibility of putting out an eoi again just to see if there's other operators that are out there. And I think that. What happened with the city this year is we were waiting for that report from the Systems Planning organization. I think we were really hoping that that would identify actual locations that would be ready to operate. And that didn't end up being what we were hoping for, that information that came back. So I think it does again fall to the city to kind of lead on this, and we can't just leave it up to the. Media to cover this meeting, because the media is a shadow of what it once was. And so I think, yeah, we need to take the responsibility and put it out there that we do potentially have more funding, up to $400,000, even. We're also hearing from people in the community who are really, really concerned about our unhoused neighbors not having any kind of a warm place to go during the day, let alone at night. And I also wonder if there's a second part of this conversation acknowledging that we have very few shelter spaces compared to the number of. Unhoused individuals. And even if we fund a couple of warming spaces, there's still going to be a lack of spaces for them to go. So. We may, I think, need to have a conversation about how we take a mindful approach. To enforcing bylaws. During the cold weather for people who may be camping. Or living outdoors, maybe camping in city parks. Maybe sheltering in vacant doorways at night. And I know that our CSO. Csos have a responsibility for ensuring the downtown is a safe and welcoming place for everyone. But I know that there's been instances lately when we've had really rarely terrible weather at night, and they've been out there by our own direction, forcing people to leave vacant doorways in the middle of the night. And they have nowhere else to. Go so. I think that we do need to have a conversation about whether there is a way that we can mindfully take a different approach to enforcing bylaws when it's cold to ensure that we're not breaking down encampments. We're not seizing tents or anything like that from people who simply have no other place to go. And I'd be interested to hear from our director of bylaw services, if that's something that's already happening because they know that. We do our best to. Take a mindful approach on these things, but is there something more Proactive that we can do. Is there specific direction from Council. That could be unceded to help take a different approach on that.

Paul Manly Yes

Did a further call for expressions of interest be posted for organizations willing and able to run additional warming centers in naimo and four if. Additional sites are found that additional funds be allocated. We may be looking at a couple of smaller spots. We might be looking at a larger spot. That we seek additional sites.

Sheryl Armstrong Yes

Councilor Armstrong on the Amendment. Please go ahead. Thank you. I think that amendment is very important because I think we do need to find other resources and to those that are in the community. I think even if you say that you can take in ten people or 20 people, I think that's very important for us to hear about because if we had ten organizations willing to take in 20, that gives us 200. So I think it's really important that. If you represent an organization and you do have that ability to please let us know and please. Bring that forward to us because from my perspective. It's really important because people are going to die. And the other thing is even taking beds up in the hospital when they shouldn't be doing that, when we can actually keep them healthier so they don't have to go there. So for me, I'm very supportive of these motions. And again, I would really ask those that are in the service industries, even if you can take intend, please send us an email saying we're able to do this rough idea. Of what the cost is going to be because for me, I think that even helps us with the dispersion problem as well as the good neighborhood agreements.

Questions and answers

Councillor Janice Perrino
Speaker identificationConfident
Yes

asked
Thank you. You worship. I'll also support this, but sorry again. I got a couple of questions. The first one is so reallocate. Up to 230,000 from the Asset Retirement Obligation Project surplus to fund warming centers. Am I reading that correctly? Okay. Approximately between November 14 to March 31 for seven days a week. I like that. And we're entering into a service agreement. Is that correct? Is that what you're seeing, too on it. He went so fast that I didn't catch all of the wording. So we're entering into. A can you put it up on
asked
Thank you, you worship. Yes, I can't see that one, but I can see that one. Thank you. So we're going to be entering into a service agreement with Risebridge. Is that going to be the only one then for now, is that correct? Am I reading that correctly? Is there any others? That's it. Okay. So then my next question is, and Councilor Eastmeer will remember this last week, at the meeting, we gave money towards food. I can't remember for what it was for. Said the 710. So we're going to be continuing obviously with funding for food services as well from our other places. Are we going to use the same fund or is it going to come from other areas? I'm just wondering where this money is coming from. Councilor Thorpe said an excellent comment last week about: "Where's the money's coming from. This is taxpayer dollars." So I just want to get a grip on how we're going to deal with these different areas, right.
Laura Mercer
Speaker identificationConfident
answeredDirector, Finance
Through your worship to councilor perino. So we have money that we could allocate to. Other initiatives from this project. So if that was something that Council chose to want to pursue, we could use some of this money to fund. Other warming shows. Yeah. Okay. So if we get.
followed up
Yes. With the food. That was the. Date Infrastructure was the Strategic infrastructure. So many different funds. So if we happen to have another warming center that comes forward your worship. Is it possible, then that we could consider. This kind of to expand this gift to another center. Is that the idea that would actually be my hope because I think it's going to be a lot of pressure
Laura Mercer
Speaker identificationConfident
answeredDirector, Finance
On Rice bridge. After this. There would be. 170,000 left in the project. And that coupled with Strategic Infrastructure Reserve
followed up
could. Be fund another warming Center. Okay. So just my comments. And the reason why I'll be supporting this is anyone living on the street does not know when it's cold enough to go to these other places. This is the part that gets me. We're only going to help out in the extreme or when the government talks about the extreme. Well, no one living on the street is going to know that this day is more extreme than the other. So this day I'll go to that place or this day I'll go to this place. It makes no sense. This is a far better option. And I appreciate that staff have brought this forward and thank councilor Brown for getting the word incorrectly. Thank you. You Worship.

Councillor Erin Hemmens
Speaker identificationConfident
Yes

asked
Thank your worship. Similar line of questioning, I think and I just want confirmation. So I'm in support of the motion for all of the reasons. We know I do want to know. The proposal from Rise Bridge is to accommodate 48 people. Our recent point in time count marks 512 people living on the street. And if you speak to anyone doing work on the streets, it's closer to 800. So this is a drop in the bucket. But I think it's something that we can't not do. My question is what's next? And if we have funding through the Asset Retirement Obligation surplus. Would we put out a call for other operators to come forward in other areas of the city to offer similar services, like if we're already merging into this space, which we generally don't go into for all the reasons that have been stated, if we're in this space, how far in can we be
C. Wood
Speaker identificationConfident
answeredSocial Planner
here. Through your worship to councilor Hemmons. We could absolutely issue an eoi like we did last year. If we know that we have access to some bunts like Mr. Lindsay mentioned last year. We did that process because we knew we had the Strengthening Communities Fund this year. We did not do the same process because. We only had knowledge that we had access to emcr funds when the thresholds were met. So. If Council wants to direct staff to do that, we could do that. Thank you. And
followed up
If I could just from my understanding. So we knew we didn't have funding for this this year, so we did not put out an EOI. However, we met with service providers in early October, and we heard from both Ryzebridge and 710 that they have capacity with some restrictions. And then Risebridge offered an opportunity to run this. I'm curious and cautious that we're not also offering this opportunity to other providers who may have that capacity. Can I

Councillor Erin Hemmens
Speaker identificationConfident
Yes

asked
Humans, then. Councilor thorpe, please. Thank your worship. I just want to reiterate your gratitude to bylaw staff and I think to everyone working in this space. The dynamics of the last five years of serving this population have changed. Dramatically. And it is a resource starved sector that is working with pennies for the job that they are being asked to do. I just want to put some data around the point to councilor Eastmeers about our unsheltered population and why funding is inadequate. And inequitable. 512. Of those counted living on the streets. We have 78.4% of those don't have anywhere to go at night, whereas in Vancouver, where they have 5000 people, only 30% of their population doesn't have anywhere to go at night. So when we went to uvcm and we sat down with the Premier and we said we are absolutely desperate for shelter beds. We need to reiterate that again and again. And again and again, because it's inequitable. And it's damaging our entire community. That wasn't actually the question I had. That was just rambling. Through to Miss Wood. Last year was the first year that we provided funding for warming centers. Did we have any evaluation in place. Through your
C. Wood
Speaker identificationConfident
answeredSocial Planner
worship to councilor hemmens. We did require some data reporting. From the two warming centers that we funded through Strengthening communities. So if that's what you mean by monitoring or evaluating, maybe you can clarify that for me. I think
followed up
a valuation should go a little bit beyond. Data and headcounts and I would be personally very curious if we are stepping into the space and it appears that we are that we have an evaluation framework. So we understand the neighborhood impacts. And also the intersection between service providers. I would be very curious. I would be very curious for those who we fund to understand how they integrate and support the broader service sector. I just worry about siloing and people fighting for funding because there isn't enough. And I'm just very aware of. The challenges that particularly those living around Chapel had last year and the present delegations we had as a result. So if this moves forward. I would be very pleased to see a more robust evaluation framework in place. Thank you. Thank you. We