15 Dec 2025 Council meeting Housing

Council Armstrong Motion re: Dry Supportive Housing

Motion
That the Mayor, on behalf of Council, write a letter to Minister Boyle and B.C. Housing requesting reconsideration for designating 250 Terminal for dry supportive housing units in light of the recent announcement of recovery-oriented housing at 1153 Johnson St. in Victoria and with consideration for the large number of homeless people in recovery or homeless through financial reasons who are in desperate need of housing.
Sources
Agenda itemCity agenda, whole meeting
Put forward by Sheryl Armstrong Source

Sheryl Armstrong Yes

Okay. I'll ask him a question if you want. No, it's all right. So my motion is that the mayor, on behalf of council, write a letter to Minister Boyle and. BC housing, requesting reconsideration for designating 250 terminal for dry supportive housing units in light of the recent announcement of recovery oriented housing at 1153 Johnson street in Victoria and with consideration for the large number of homeless people in recovery or homeless through financial. Reasons who are in desperate need of housing and will speak to that a second. Seconded council, Prino. I'll just say I've worked with Newcastle association since I think around 20 17. 28. You can sit down, Ms. Yuvondo, please. 27 2018 on this and this has been top of my list. That's the reason why I haven't recently voted for any supportive housing units because I believe there's a desperate need for dry housing. We've heard stories of people that are sent over to det. Detox to Vancouver. They spend the two weeks there, they come back, and then they're put in Newcastle or Nokia, and it doesn't work. They're right back using, so. We're setting people up for failure, and we're not helping those that want to. Help themselves. And I find that very distressing. I find it very distressing when I hear from councilor Manley about the number of seniors that are living in shelters. For financial reasons. And as was stated, the three that they just talked about, all homeless people without drug use that we're aware of. Their lives altered forever because they've got no place to live, and they don't even qualify because they're not addicts and. To me that's wrong, so I hope this is supported. Thank you.

Ian Thorpe Yes

Thank you, councilor. Thorpe. Thank you, your worship. Yes, I'll certainly be happy. To support this. And I just don't need to point out that councilor Armstrong has been a strong advocate for dry, supportive housing for a number of years now, and finally, maybe some people in victoria are starting to hear a message. But I did. If I may, your worship, just want to clarify, because when I looked at the wording of this, Motion. I have to confess. It seems a little unclear to me in that it reads, Requesting reconsideration for designating 250 terminal for dry supportive housing. And I think that. Can be read two ways. And we know the intent. We know what you want. But do you hear what I'm saying? I'm sorry.

Erin Hemmens Yes

Councilor Armstrong. Again. No? Okay. Councilor Himmons. Thank you, worship. This has my full support. This is a reiteration of an ask that council unanimously supported when Minister Boyle. Was named minister. It was really disappointing to hear that that wasn't on the ministry's radar at the time. And then to hear it announced in Victoria, it felt like a bit of a slap. In the face. My own personal plea in this would be that our mlas really help us. Voice this need here in Nanaimo and that we should be getting the same amenities as other communities.

Paul Manly Yes

Thank you, Councilor Manley. Thank you, your worship. Yes, I'm supportive of this as well. And I've mentioned. This before, but I've seen people come out of treatment and end up in the shelter. System. And. End up right back where they started. And sometimes because they've gone through detox, they don't have the tolerance anymore. And are more likely to die if they use. And so we need to make sure that people. That do make those changes in their lives and are making the effort. Get the backing in support of the government and BC housing. And the systems are in place to ensure that they succeed.

Tyler Brown Yes

Thank you. Thank you, Councilor Brown. Thanks for worship. Fully support this. And. I hope it's successful. I think part of the frustration is continually dealing with BC Housing. In the province is. You asked them for something, they say it's not possible. It goes out to the community, and rightfully so. The community has concerns. And then the optics of it change for the province, and they propose things elsewhere that they've. Repeatedly told you is not possible. So that is very frustrating and it makes it hard to continually try to deal with them in good fate and. I hope, try to remain optimistic that. They will take this consideration seriously and have a conversation with the appropriate parties to see if that is a possibility here.

Leonard Krog Yes

What is astonishing to me is that. In an error when all the experts and the people involved are trying to convince us that addiction is a health issue. And you create supportive housing. You throw people in that supportive housing who are still in active addiction. When the whole concept of sport of housing is to make you better and keep you better. But it appears it's taken a very long time to get past the whole issue of dignity and human rights to some extent. And I'm being a little bit sarcastic when I say this somehow being more important than the healthy outcome that would result from people being able to stay clean and sober and have a full opportunity to do so. I think it will also be very. Interesting if the province does approve this and treats it that way to see what happens in the neighborhood. I would like to think that if there were more facilities like this that were dry, That we might see. Less disorder in various neighborhoods, and it might convince the province that perhaps there is a far greater appetite out there. In the population who are suffering in our streets, in the thousands across this province, a far greater appetite for the opportunity to live in places where they feel safer and secure because there aren't. Drug dealers coming in and out, and there aren't people in active addiction. But I'm not going to dribble on any further tonight. Thank you very much for the delegation and to the represent. Representatives of the neighborhood who've come here tonight. Motions on the floor. All those in favor? And any opposed? None.