Saint John's 'Housing for All' plan passes — with more urgent timelines

Saint John council has given its final approval to a housing strategy that was introduced at a public safety committee meeting last week, with an added focus on urgency.  

"We're bringing forward our Housing for All strategy," said Coun. David Hickey after a presentation on the finalized plan to council, which aims to make homelessness "rare, brief and non-recurring."

According to a staff report submitted to council, the approval will allow the city to begin implementing the strategy but with "more urgent timelines," following criticism from some council members on the public safety committee about the length of its three-year target and lack of measurable goals.

Council would also like to see the strategy include a "clear and discernible ask to other levels of government as to where the city needs to be going and addressing this crisis and how we can respond to that," said Hickey, who chairs the public safety committee. 

The plan was prompted by a rise in homelessness in the city, resulting in encampments near schools, daycares, parks and highways.

Plan proposes creation of 'zones'

It calls for the city to establish green, yellow and red "zones." Green zones are where structured sites for the homeless would be located. Yellow zones would allow tents at certain times of the year and red zones are areas where unsheltered structures of any kind would not be permitted.

Coun. Paula Radwan says the zones should be a city priority. She said enforcing regulations for "red zones" should be community oriented instead of focused on policing.

"I think that we need to have a gentle hand in helping people, not criminalizing people," Radwan said.

"I don't think we need more police. I think that we need something that says 'community' in it to help people," she said. "I think that the green, yellow and red zones for me would be number 1."

Bylaws need to be created to enforce the red zones, Radwan said.

"I really feel like you do need to have somebody with authority, so that if there is a red zone, like maybe next to an elementary school, for example, we do need to be able to have enforcement," she said. "But that's a last resort."

The plan does not say where the zones would be located.

"Our communities are desperate for us to take action here," Hickey said.

"It's my opinion that the biggest impact for both those living in homelessness and those in the neighbourhoods is to establish green zones. We have to go now."

The plan proposes 27 other "actions" that fall under the objective of emergency supports. 

It has three other objectives: co-ordination and governance, prevention, education and safety and housing supports. 

'Need for immediate action'

Hickey urged his fellow council members to support the plan.

"I think we've heard the need for immediate action, that folks in our neighbourhood can see tangibly happening in the community. I think that's really important," he said.

"This can't be a starting point…. We already need to be in drive, moving forward, making sure that we're getting something done."

Hickey said there are things that both residents and the provincial government can do.

"We're calling on our residents not to criminalize homeless people," he said.

The city "as a body" needs to call on the province for help, he said, "because with the document like this, with the attention this council has offered to this, I think we're in a position to do so."

The motion was passed with Coun. Barry Ogden casting the sole vote against. Among other reasons, he said solutions to homelessness need the province at the table, and the strategy lacked public input.