According to Linda Bernicki, Director of Rural Health and Wellness at the  Rural Development Network, “Housing is a human right and just not housing, safe and stable housing is a human right. So if I’m in housing that doesn’t have any heat or running water, then I’m denied a basic human right, and it takes all levels of government and all levels of society to work together to start to develop responses that is going to limit and homelessness.” 

In the concluding episode of a series about the recent housing needs survey, Bernicki and her colleague Emma Wallace spoke about solutions.

Bernicki does not believe the housing crisis can be blamed on the government’s decision to stop building affordable housing back in the 1970s.

“That conversation continues to be had in 2022 and homelessness is increasing. So it looks to me like all levels of government, and society in general, haven’t been doing a very good job at working together,” she said.

Wallace added, “Rural communities across Canada are struggling with issues of housing and homelessness. We actually were really thrilled  and we really commend Strathcona Regional District (SRD) for taking the opportunity to do this assessment to get a better sense of the picture of homelessness in their area and really start to work to implement that. We’re really thankful to the  Campbell River & District Coalition to End Homelessness and the Urban Indigenous Housing and Wellness Coalition for their support in the project. To everyone who responded to the survey, the community members and residents in the SRD are entirely what made this project possible. Without their help and their information, we wouldn’t be able to do a project like this.”

427 surveys were completed in the SRD. More than a quarter came from Cortes Island and there was a significant number from Quadra Island. 

A number of Cortes land owners said they would need zoning changes and/or financial support for a secondary dwelling or rental unit on their property.  

“Several people also noted that they would be willing if the tenant had their own tiny home,” explained Wallace. “Also high on the list, a lot of folks believe that more education around what a secondary dwelling would look like on their property.”

Most Quadra respondents felt more creative housing options were needed.   

“That’s tiny homes, carriage houses, dock homes and income based affordable rental units,” said Wallace. “Additionally, folks suggested an empty homes tax.”

These two answers — making it easier to have a rental unit and an empty homes tax — were mentioned throughout the SRD. 

Wallace added, “We don’t have an exact number of the people who stayed in transitional housing, but what we do know is that 49 people in Cortes and 13 in  Quadra were either emergency sheltered or provisionally accommodated.”  

This means anything from couch surfing, to staying in an abandoned building or some kind of shelter. 

“There are not many transitional housing units open right now in the Strathcona Regional District.  So I think it’s fair to say that very few of those folks are staying in transitional housing. One of the goals of this project was to get a better sense of whether folks would be interested in staying in transitional housing.  Once we have that information, service providers across the region can use that information to advocate for housing support,” said Wallace. 

“One of the big things when we look at housing is actually also the services that we provide to folks who are struggling with housing. They go hand in hand. One of the things that we’ve recommended is to advocate for accessible and affordable community services.”

 A quarter of the respondents to the survey live in unheated homes. 55 did not possess indoor plumbing and 37 lacked access to safe drinking water. 

“What we hope is that improved awareness and access to services like crisis financial resources will help folks to access these basic amenities,” said Wallace.  “A lot of respondents emphasize their difficulty in paying rent or mortgages.  They’re finding that they are falling behind without a stable income. So again, really promoting that crisis financial support and basic needs supports are available to folks in the community is critical in ensuring that respondents don’t lose their homes.”

Many lacked adequate transportation. A significant number were walking or hitch hiking to access groceries, laundromats, doctor’s appointments, or mental health care, etc. Others were paying more for gasoline, or other transportation costs, as well as increased costs for the services.  

“Something that we’ve highlighted as an opportunity  is to really look at what transportation looks like in the community, but also what services are available and where can communities collaborate on services to allow for better opportunities for their residents,” said Wallace. “There will be a lot of collaboration needed to address housing in the area.”

Top image credit: A tiny home in the woods – Photo by Ben Chun via Flickr (CC BY SA, 2.0 License)

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