TofinoB次元官网网址檚 housing crisis is pushing the townB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址榟idden homelessB次元官网网址� population into the forefront.
Dr. Carrie Marshall said residents with nowhere else to go are seeking emergency shelter at the Tofino General Hospital.
B次元官网网址淲e have patients that come in that we are providing accommodation for, essentially, and food. ThereB次元官网网址檚 no medical need. We admit them for social reasons. ThereB次元官网网址檚 not a criminal element to not having a fixed address, so police donB次元官网网址檛 want to be taking them to cells,B次元官网网址� Marshall said. B次元官网网址淲e are increasingly getting more and more patients that thereB次元官网网址檚 literally nowhere for them to goB次元官网网址sually they are transient, or no-fixed-address patients, that fall between the hospital and criminal cells.B次元官网网址�
Frustrations and concerns over the lack of housing in town have been a perpetual mainstay on councilB次元官网网址檚 docket and the issue was a key point of emphasis during OctoberB次元官网网址檚 municipal election campaign.
Petra Hansman, a B次元官网网址渃oncerned rental citizen of Tofino,B次元官网网址� is frustrated by what she believes has been a lack of action by Tofino council to fulfill the promises made during the campaign trail.
B次元官网网址淭here has been a palatable hush over talk of creating affordable housing, I fear that district and council have lost momentum in this very important issue,B次元官网网址� she wrote.
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She suggested developers could be interested in creating housing projects, but council B次元官网网址渘eeds to be more flexible and create more allowancesB次元官网网址� while working with developers to find solutions.
B次元官网网址淵ou as councillors and mayor were employed by the townspeople to alleviate this issue. Our town is desperate for solutions and shovels in the ground today. ItB次元官网网址檚 time for investments made and solutions implemented. Please act before our gross population moves to Ucluelet and beyond. Enough is enough,B次元官网网址� she wrote.
Tofino mayor Josie Osborne told the Westerly B次元官网网址 that the district conducted a housing needs assessment in 2015 that highlighted a significant need for housing, but did not quantify or describe in detail the gap of suitable housing for the communityB次元官网网址檚 most vulnerable residents.
B次元官网网址淯ntil Dr. Marshall reported to us in the council meeting, I did not know that the hospital has admitted people overnight so that they have a place to stayB次元官网网址攑resumably a safe, warm and dry place to sleep,B次元官网网址� she said.
B次元官网网址淒r. Marshall has highlighted an absolutely critical need that clearly must be addressed but, for me, this news also indicates the need to build more awareness and dialogue about the issue of homelessness and B次元官网网址榣iving roughB次元官网网址� on the West Coast, an issue that is practically invisible to mainstream society.B次元官网网址�
She said TofinoB次元官网网址檚 housing shortage is well known and is impacting distinct segments of the townB次元官网网址檚 population in different ways.
B次元官网网址淪ome people can afford market rents or mortgages, but they simply cannot find a place to rent or a home to buy. Many, many, others simply do not make enough income to afford market rents and mortgagesB次元官网网址攕hould they be so fortunate as to even find a vacancy or a home for sale,B次元官网网址� she said.
B次元官网网址淭his group is often called the B次元官网网址榤issing middleB次元官网网址� and is likely the gap that is affecting local businesses and TofinoB次元官网网址檚 economy the most.B次元官网网址�
She added the townB次元官网网址檚 most vulnerable residents need B次元官网网址渄eeply subsidizedB次元官网网址� housing, of which there is little in Tofino.
B次元官网网址淲e need to fill the housing gaps at all levels, but there are different strategies and partnerships needed for each type of housing,B次元官网网址� she said.
She said council is working on creating B次元官网网址渢he best conditions possibleB次元官网网址� for affordable housing development through local government tools, like zoning, allowing increased density and removing minimum home sizes.
She added council is also lobbying the provincial and federal governments for desperately needed funding and policy changes and suggested TofinoB次元官网网址檚 was a key voice in the provinceB次元官网网址檚 decision to allow taxes collected by AirBnB rentals to go towards affordable housing initiatives last fall.
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B次元官网网址淎 third category of action is actually building housing and, while that is relatively rare for a B.C. municipality, we are in the thick of it with the Tofino Bible Fellowship and the Tofino Housing Corporation preparing for a new residential neighbourhood on DL 114,B次元官网网址� she said, referring to the districtB次元官网网址檚 collaborative project to create 50 new housing units, which received $500,000 from the provincial government last March.
She added Tofino could also look into potential taxes being used in other municipalities,
B次元官网网址淟ike the vacancy tax in Vancouver and the so-called speculation tax,B次元官网网址� she suggested. B次元官网网址淭hese taxes are controversial, but should we be considering them in Tofino to help cool market prices or to at least add extra funding to our affordable housing reserve?B次元官网网址�
She cautioned the community against expecting affordable rentals and homes to spring up in short order.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檇 like the public to understand that as frustrating as it is that things move slowly, it helps to ask questions, listen to Council, staff and developers and try to understand the trade-offs and compromises that we consider when we make decisions about housing.
B次元官网网址淚t took decades for B.C. to get into this serious affordable housing [crisis], and we wonB次元官网网址檛 be able to solve it overnight,B次元官网网址� she said.
B次元官网网址淭here is no single B次元官网网址榖est wayB次元官网网址� to tackle TofinoB次元官网网址檚 housing issue, rather itB次元官网网址檚 a combination of many thingsB次元官网网址攆rom increasing supply directly through the Tofino Housing Corporation and indirectly with willing developers, moderating the need for new staff accommodation by carefully considering any new commercial development, lobbying the provincial and federal governments for funding and policy changes, to enforcing and reviewing short-term rental rules, to using zoning tools to create better conditions for affordable housing.B次元官网网址�
She added that B次元官网网址渦nless we are willing to compromise on density, parking requirements, and setbacks,B次元官网网址� the cost of land, building materials, labour and service infrastructure will continue to push B次元官网网址渆ven modestly sized and appointed homesB次元官网网址� out of the financial reach of average Tofitians.
B次元官网网址淚f we truly want people of all income levels and stations in life to have dignified, affordable and adequate housing, there is likely no possible way to build affordable housing without increasing density in ways that Tofino is not entirely comfortable with. This is not easy for people to understand and accept, and I had to learn a lot about the true costs of development before I realized and accepted it myself,B次元官网网址� she said.
B次元官网网址淪uch changes will change the rural nature and feel of some streets and sites, but we are quickly approaching a point where we have to live with change in the community we love so we can support the people who make this such a great place to live.B次元官网网址�
andrew.bailey@westerlynews.ca
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