Tofino91裸聊视频檚 housing crisis is pushing the town91裸聊视频檚 91裸聊视频榟idden homeless91裸聊视频� population into the forefront.
Dr. Carrie Marshall said residents with nowhere else to go are seeking emergency shelter at the Tofino General Hospital.
91裸聊视频淲e have patients that come in that we are providing accommodation for, essentially, and food. There91裸聊视频檚 no medical need. We admit them for social reasons. There91裸聊视频檚 not a criminal element to not having a fixed address, so police don91裸聊视频檛 want to be taking them to cells,91裸聊视频� Marshall said. 91裸聊视频淲e are increasingly getting more and more patients that there91裸聊视频檚 literally nowhere for them to go91裸聊视频sually they are transient, or no-fixed-address patients, that fall between the hospital and criminal cells.91裸聊视频�
Frustrations and concerns over the lack of housing in town have been a perpetual mainstay on council91裸聊视频檚 docket and the issue was a key point of emphasis during October91裸聊视频檚 municipal election campaign.
Petra Hansman, a 91裸聊视频渃oncerned rental citizen of Tofino,91裸聊视频� is frustrated by what she believes has been a lack of action by Tofino council to fulfill the promises made during the campaign trail.
91裸聊视频淭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,91裸聊视频� she wrote.
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She suggested developers could be interested in creating housing projects, but council 91裸聊视频渘eeds to be more flexible and create more allowances91裸聊视频� while working with developers to find solutions.
91裸聊视频淵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. It91裸聊视频檚 time for investments made and solutions implemented. Please act before our gross population moves to Ucluelet and beyond. Enough is enough,91裸聊视频� she wrote.
Tofino mayor Josie Osborne told the Westerly News 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 community91裸聊视频檚 most vulnerable residents.
91裸聊视频淯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 stay91裸聊视频攑resumably a safe, warm and dry place to sleep,91裸聊视频� she said.
91裸聊视频淒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 91裸聊视频榣iving rough91裸聊视频� on the West Coast, an issue that is practically invisible to mainstream society.91裸聊视频�
She said Tofino91裸聊视频檚 housing shortage is well known and is impacting distinct segments of the town91裸聊视频檚 population in different ways.
91裸聊视频淪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 mortgages91裸聊视频攕hould they be so fortunate as to even find a vacancy or a home for sale,91裸聊视频� she said.
91裸聊视频淭his group is often called the 91裸聊视频榤issing middle91裸聊视频� and is likely the gap that is affecting local businesses and Tofino91裸聊视频檚 economy the most.91裸聊视频�
She added the town91裸聊视频檚 most vulnerable residents need 91裸聊视频渄eeply subsidized91裸聊视频� housing, of which there is little in Tofino.
91裸聊视频淲e need to fill the housing gaps at all levels, but there are different strategies and partnerships needed for each type of housing,91裸聊视频� she said.
She said council is working on creating 91裸聊视频渢he best conditions possible91裸聊视频� 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 Tofino91裸聊视频檚 was a key voice in the province91裸聊视频檚 decision to allow taxes collected by AirBnB rentals to go towards affordable housing initiatives last fall.
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91裸聊视频淎 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 114,91裸聊视频� she said, referring to the district91裸聊视频檚 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,
91裸聊视频淟ike the vacancy tax in Vancouver and the so-called speculation tax,91裸聊视频� she suggested. 91裸聊视频淭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?91裸聊视频�
She cautioned the community against expecting affordable rentals and homes to spring up in short order.
91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檇 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.
91裸聊视频淚t took decades for B.C. to get into this serious affordable housing [crisis], and we won91裸聊视频檛 be able to solve it overnight,91裸聊视频� she said.
91裸聊视频淭here is no single 91裸聊视频榖est way91裸聊视频� to tackle Tofino91裸聊视频檚 housing issue, rather it91裸聊视频檚 a combination of many things91裸聊视频攆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.91裸聊视频�
She added that 91裸聊视频渦nless we are willing to compromise on density, parking requirements, and setbacks,91裸聊视频� the cost of land, building materials, labour and service infrastructure will continue to push 91裸聊视频渆ven modestly sized and appointed homes91裸聊视频� out of the financial reach of average Tofitians.
91裸聊视频淚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,91裸聊视频� she said.
91裸聊视频淪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.91裸聊视频�
andrew.bailey@westerlynews.ca
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