POLITICS MAY SABOTAGE LOW COST HOUSING

Its only been a week since Victoria and Capital Regional District claimed they would work together to spend $51 million the Federal Government put forward for low income housing. Now those same politicians are turning on each other and the confusion may cost lives. Here is a mainstream media report for what its worth:

Victoria's housing committee wants more action

Bill Cleverley, Times Colonist Published: Friday, March 16, 2007

Instead of paying lip-service to issues of homelessness and affordable housing, Victoria should hire someone to do some real work on the problems, its own advisory housing committee says.

“This city has a parks planner, whose only concern is parks planning,” committee co-chairman Wayne Hopkins told city council yesterday.

“We currently have staff that are tasked with probably dozens of priorities, and I personally believe affordable housing in the region is a very high priority.

Having a staff person working on the issue would provide more opportunities to create affordable housing and not just talk about it, Hopkins said.

Hopkins, a former Esquimalt councillor, said lately there has been frustration and grumbling on the committee, where members have wondered whether they’re just window dressing.

“Do we have this committee so the people around this [council] table can say ‘we have this committee?’” he asked.

The committee recommended an affordable-housing staff position be created in the planning department to liaise with the committee.

The committee believes there is a need:

• To research successful housing initiatives and legislative changes across the country;

• To identify housing opportunities within new projects and renovation projects;

• To identify existing non-profit housing projects, including co-ops that could be redeveloped and rehabilitated.

Coun. Helen Hughes noted that when the Capital Regional District announced last week the creation of a new Regional Housing Affordability Strategy with the formation of new affordable-housing and homelessness secretariats, Victoria’s own committee members weren’t even aware of the plans.

“I think it’s fabulous the CRD has taken the steps that they have, but maybe members around this table might be a little more positive toward what they actually think the CRD is going to accomplish in a short period of time,” Hopkins said.

“I’d say it’s reasonable to say that we as committee members don’t have that same level of faith about what the CRD can actually deliver. By the same respect, I think we’re frustrated by our inability to deliver.”

Coun. Dean Fortin said affordable housing and homelessness are No. 1 priorities. Perhaps it is time to hire an affordable-housing staffer, he said.

“The other municipalities have an interest in dealing with homelessness, but for the City of Victoria it’s here. It’s on our streets. We deal every day with the negative consequences, and as such we should take perhaps a higher level of interest.”

Mayor Alan Lowe said the committee could not be given any information on the CRD’s new Regional Housing Affordability Strategy before the announcement because the discussions had been held in private.

Lowe said there’s no room in this year’s budget for an additional staff member dedicated to the issue.

He recommended Hopkins meet with CRD Housing Corp. executive director Henry Kamphof, head of the new affordable-housing secretariat, to discuss co-ordination of efforts.

Councillors referred the staffing recommendation for a report.