Housing minister says new Nanaimo supportive housing won't be dry, despite council's call to ban substances
At a recent meeting, Nanaimo council voted to send a letter to the province asking it to ban substances at the building, located at 250 Terminal Ave.
Coun. Erin Hemmens, who put forward the motion to send the letter, said it comes from a request from the neighbourhood.
"Folks who have been through treatment have a really hard time going back into supportive housing when drug usage is apparent," she said. "It's not an easy place to retain their recovery trajectory."
She described the request as "fair and reasonable."
But Housing Minister Christine Boyle disagrees. She said the request to make the facility a dry housing complex isn't something B.C. Housing is considering.
"B.C. Housing uses the widely recognized housing first model, meaning we recognize the importance of getting people into housing and supports, in that housing that allows them to access health care and other supports with a harm reduction approach," she told CBC's The Early Edition.
She then pointed to another Nanaimo supportive housing project, called Sparrow, which prioritizes people who want to limit their exposure to drugs and alcohol. It won't be completely dry, she said, but it will have 24/7 on-site support, according to B.C. Housing.
"Relapse is often part of recovery," Boyle said. "What we don't want is for people who have a relapse to lose their housing and go through the destabilizing impacts that that can continue to have."
She said there are many unhoused people in Nanaimo, but there are many who aren't at a point where they need or want their housing to depend on their sobriety.
" We are meeting people where they're at and helping make sure first that they get the stability of a safe and reliable home so that they can access health support."
According to its most recent homeless count, there were 621 unhoused people in Nanaimo in 2024, up 20 per cent compared to the year prior. However, Hemmens said the city estimates there are currently roughly 1,000 people who are homeless in the community.
In June, Nanaimo city council was one of nine councils across B.C. that called on the province to legislate housing as a human right.
Hemmens said Nanaimo can't build housing fast enough.
"What is important is that we're not channelling all of our resources into one specific community, and that we're actually providing everyone who is in that situation with an opportunity to get out," she said.
Boyle, as a former city councillor herself, having spent several years in municipal politics in Vancouver, said she understands the challenges communities like Nanaimo are facing when it comes to homelessness and addiction.
But, she said, there needs to be a balance between what the community wants and what people who require housing actually need.
"If we build housing that isn't helping people move indoors because it's not what they want, then it's not working either, right? Then we still have tent encampments and people stuck outdoors."
As of August, the completion date for the project at 250 Terminal Ave. has yet to be determined. One five-storey building will have 50 studio apartments for single adults, and a second one will be built to house 34 affordable homes for low-income families, seniors and people with disabilities.
The Sparrow project, located at 1298 Nelson St., will have 78 units. Boyle said it will open later this year or in early 2026.
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