Penticton Affordable Housing Group

PENTICTON AFFORDABLE HOUSING GROUP FACT SHEET FOR THE RECENT ALL CANDIDATE’S MEETING HELD NOVEMBER 16,2005 PENTICTON UNITED CHURCH

Identified Needs in Penticton

 Emergency housing for women who do not fall under the Transition Housing criteria  Recovery housing for people in treatment for addictions  Housing for the “hard to house”  Sobering Centre  Housing and services for senior women escaping abuse and/or living in poverty  Intermediate stay “second stage” (support) housing for women and their children  Affordable seniors’ housing (zero vacancy rate right now)  Needle exchange facility  Appropriate housing options for those with mental illnesses  A day center for street people  Advocacy and social services for those in poverty and/or mental illnesses and addictions implementation of the “4 Pillars” approach, including Health, D&A, RCMP Social service agencies

Statistics:

 Referrals to Pathways Addictions Centre: 2004: 215 women clients  Chemical Dependence Centre – Penticton Hospital 360 referrals annually, 60% dual diagnosis  Transition House Admissions (escaping abuse) 2004/05: 233 women with 133 children, the opening of the First Nations Transition House as not diminished the numbers at all  Local addictions treatment program – Pathways DEW day program: Funding for only two sessions per year, 12 seats per program. Highly oversubscribed (36 applicants average for 12 seats for each program)  Residential Treatment Program – outside of Penticton only: 18 referrals per month from Penticton, 3 month wait list, average stay 6 weeks  Involvement of Ministry of Children & Families (MCFD): 38% of women with addictions have children and require MCDF involvement  Women without stable homes: A vast majority of women with substance use problems are homeless or have unstable, unsafe housing. 40 beds for women only are required locally.  300 people waiting for low income seniors housing  Men’s shelter: 12 temporary beds only, operates only 4pm-10am, no funding for day programs  2600 households in Penticton living below the poverty level  49% of renters spending more than 30% of family income on rent  50% of homeless are under 25 years of age, 2/3 of these are under 19 years old

Other Facts:

 Most street people have mental illnesses o some type, diagnosed or undiagnosed  Addictions and mental illnesses are generally dual diagnosed  Due to a lack of services, the Women’s Centre is now seeing more and more men  There is no detox service in the South Okanagan  When the police apprehend an intoxicated individual for their own protections, cells are the only option available  The homeless, the under-houses, those with addictions and mental illnesses, those escaping unstable or violent situations have no safe and supportive central place to seek help or just relax, get a shower, have a coffee, get some new socks or build community  Increasing numbers of seniors, particularly women, are living in abject poverty. Many are experiencing elder abuse.  Women and children often remain in abusive situations because of a lack of affordable, safe, decent housing.

The Penticton Affordable Housing Group predicts that, without beginning now to address the current lack of housing and support services for the needy and troubled in our community, the situation will increasingly deteriorate with the continued growth of Penticton.

The situation will not go away!

It is difficult for Penticton to call itself a “community” if the most vulnerable amongst us are not cared for.

If you’d like to give your comments or assistance to the Penticton Affordable Housing Group please contact them by Email at : [email protected]

Their meetings are held at the Penticton Health Centre, 740 Carmi Avenue 1st Thursday of each month at 10:30 a.m. Why is Affordable Housing Important to your Community?

 Affordable Housing helps seniors and people with disabilities maintain their independence  People who live in affordable housing remain healthier, resulting in cost savings in health and support services  Affordable housing is a positive resource to our community  Affordable housing helps create disposable income which enables families to better participate in the economic and social life of the community  Affordable housing means jobs in housing development, construction and on-going management and maintenance work.

Local governance has an immediate impact on our quality of life. In terms of housing, municipal government decisions about infrastructure, rezoning applications, or social service provision affect the quality of life. Community groups are increasingly involved in the decisions making process of our municipalities.

This and every election, historic changes give local governments a higher profile than ever before. The New Deal for Cities and Communities has and will continue to create new relationships between senior governments and municipalities. It also provides new resources that municipalities can use to revitalize after years of limited funding.

At the same time, local governments in BC have an expanded role as a result of The Community Charter, and they continue to face difficult decisions about how to manage the local impact of reductions in provincial services. Some cities are moving into policy areas that are the traditional responsibility of senior governments. Rural communities face similar pressures, but with fewer resources.

BUILDING SOCAL HOUSING IS A LONG TERM INVESTMENT

Local governments can reduce rates for public land, offer grants-in-aid, and suspend property taxes or development charges for non-profit housing projects. They can also help build critical community support.

The Municipal Election provides a tremendous opportunity to educate and inform candidates and the voting public.

Look at the following contact list: CMHC Market analysis from CMHC have information on vacancy rates, and rental and mortgage costs vs. income for various types of housing. Each region has a market analyst. Contact: Lisa Preston, Administrator, Products and Services BC Market Analysis Ph: 604-737-4088 Fax: 604-737-4021 Email: [email protected]

BC Housing: Lorraine Copas 604-433-17ll

BC Real Estate Association: www.bcrea.bc.ca

Federation of Canadian Municipalities: www.fcm.ca

Union of BC Municipalities: www.civicnet.bc.ca