Castlegar city council has decided to let BC Housing's Temporary Use Permit (TUP) application for a new shelter proceed to the next stage, but not without expressing frustration with the organization's plans to stop funding the current shelter at the end of March.
BC Housing purchased property at 2245 6 Ave. in June 2024 with plans to open a permanent year-round shelter. They have awarded a contract to Castlegar Community Services to operate a 20-bed shelter at the site, but must receive a TUP from the city before they can operate the facility.
For the last five winters, BC Housing has funded a temporary winter shelter in Castlegar. But each year, the funding runs out on March 31.
Even though BC Housing has identified a need for a permanent year-round shelter in Castlegar and has plans to open one in the fall, the organization still plans to stop funding the current shelter at the end of winter.
The move will put the 10 residents of the shelter at 1660 Columbia Ave. out on the street for about seven months.
This plan does not sit well with Castlegar's mayor and council.
"I don't know that you can make a statement as an organization and say we need those services 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and then leave us with a gap from the end of March until the new one opens... Why would you not leave that open?" asked Councillor Cherryl MacLeod.
The answer was straightforward but not satisfying. BC Housing has two shelter funding streams – temporary winter shelters and permanent shelters. Keeping the current shelter open past winter does not fall into either category.
Mayor Maria McFaddin added, "If you are saying we need a permanent one, then we need to know we have a stop gap... between the end of March and November."
She said closing the shelter is "not fair to us as councillors who are going to take on a lot of flack for making these decisions, even though they are the right decisions, to not have a partner that is willing to... come to the table."
The BC Housing representative attending the Feb. 3 council meeting where the conversation took place, said the organization would continue to work with the city, but made it clear that currently there are only the two funding streams available for shelters.
Every councillor was left frustrated with the seven month gap in services. They expressed a number of concerns, on top of the fact the residents won't have a place to sleep at night, including the potential loss of experienced staff who have already built relationships with the unhoused population, the residents losing connections to services, and problems increasing around the community due to the closure.
"It doesn't make sense," said McFaddin.
She suggested BC Housing just start funding the permanent shelter early, using the funds to operate the current shelter, and then transferring to the new location when it is ready.
Both shelters are going to be run by CCS, making the solution seem even more logical, except for the tangle of government bureaucracy.
Deb McIntosh, the current shelter's manager, was moved by the way council was advocating for the city's unhoused population.
"I want to say how bloody refreshing it is to have a council that are willing to fight for those in their community that are most vulnerable," said McIntosh.
"When we are talking about beds, we are talking about real living people with real issues, with real problems, with hearts and souls... it's important we put faces to these people, because they are real, they are so real.
"Within that group of people there are future artists, musicians, editors, councillors... these people are just sitting at the bottom right now due to life circumstances, but these people have a lot to offer.
"Thank you for making Castlegar an inclusive place that supports all of our citizens, not just the taxpayers."
BC Housing is ready to start renovations at the new location once the TUP is approved and plans to have the shelter open before next winter.
A TUP does not change a property's zoning, rather it temporarily allows a specific use for a set period of time with conditions attached.
The shelter permit is based on a three-year agreement, but it will be evaluated each year with the option of amendments if operations are not meeting council's expectations. It is scheduled for adoption at the Feb.18 council meeting.
