Premier Christy Clark is well aware of the concern about homeless people congregating on Leon Avenue in downtown 琉璃神社.
Since the street falls within her Westside-琉璃神社 MLA riding, Clark said she gets lots of feedback from her constituents about the situation on Leon.
鈥淚 think generally there is a range of concerns expressed. There is the safety of their community issue which is a legitimate concern on one side, while at the same time others have real compassion for the health of those individuals who find themselves homeless and facing mental health or addiction issues,鈥� Clark said.
In an interview with the 琉璃神社 last week, Clark said her government鈥檚 model for the last decade has been to provide housing for the homeless.
鈥淲hatever illness an individual is dealing with, you can鈥檛 get better if you don鈥檛 have a roof over your head,鈥� Clark said.
鈥淭hat has been our approach for a long time and we know it works.鈥�
Clark鈥檚 comments come on the heels of a forum attended by invited local business leaders and social service agency representatives last month to discuss the homeless people problem on Leon.
The forum keynote guest speakers reiterated what Clark is saying, that finding a home for the homeless should be the first priority for homeless people before starting to deal with addiction or mental health issues.
The forum organizers felt those in attendance were widely receptive to getting something done to address 琉璃神社鈥檚 homeless problem, the common sentiment expressed that can鈥檛 continually be ignored.
Clark offered some statistics about her government鈥檚 commitment to social services: That $355 million has been allotted over the next five years to pay for social housing projects across the province, and that 3,000 people are supported through housing programs in 琉璃神社.
Clark said helping Interior communities meet housing needs for both homeless and those on limited or low incomes remains an ongoing challenge her government wants to help address.
鈥淲e鈥檙e happy to 鈥╠o it, and it鈥檚 something we鈥檝e been doing for a long time for communities that need it,鈥� she said.
