Political turf war over outreach centre comes at expense of vulnerable Islanders, says advocate
Park Street services a vital anchor, says Native Council of P.E.I. housing project co-ordinator
An advocate who works to get vulnerable people housed says the Community Outreach Centre's location on Park Street in Charlottetown is making a difference, but recent political debates over whether it should stay there are creating uncertainty for those who rely on its services.
Chris Clay, the co-ordinator of the Native Council of P.E.I.'s Reaching Home project, said he's seen first-hand how the centre provides critical support to Islanders who are often overlooked or stigmatized.
"I've seen a huge improvement in the services at the outreach center. The clinic that they're running now is fantastic," he told CBC's Island Morning.
"It helps address a lot of needs to the population that don't often get to see doctors. The services that the case managers are doing down there are phenomenal, and they're providing such good help to the people who need it."
Political dispute over location
Park Street is the outreach centre's fifth location since it first opened in January 2020 at 211 Euston St. to serve Islanders in need of access to financial assistance, counselling, employment, food and housing.
Some residents in the area have expressed concerns about the location, citing fears for their safety. There were similar complaints when the centre was located on Euston Street.
Clay said the current location has worked well because it's within walking distance of downtown Charlottetown and essential services.
But the future of the centre and the nearby emergency shelter recently became the focus of a heated debate between the City of Charlottetown and the P.E.I. government.
Last week, city council voted to reject the province's request for a zoning change that would have allowed the operations to remain on Park Street.
Two days later, P.E.I. Housing Minister Steven Myers said the province would set up a special zone in the area that would allow the shelter and outreach centre to stay in place, effectively overriding council's decision.
Myers went as far as using words like "lies" and "coward" when referring to the city's vote against the zoning change.
Mayor Philip Brown later told CBC News he wants to avoid what he called a "sandbox fight," but he did not rule out taking the province to court over the issue.
Clay said the political discord is happening just as staff at the outreach centre are seeing positive results.
"Every time we get a few steps ahead, we seem to find barriers," he said. "It affects the people who access the services and the service providers who are trying to give them out. If we don't have a central location to work from, then it's hard to find this population."
Clay acknowledged that political discussions are necessary because funding for the outreach centre and shelter comes through government.
"I just wish that it would be through a lens of more caring about the population that they're arguing over."
Vulnerable population, staff bearing the brunt
Clay said the uncertainty surrounding the location of these services is making life even more difficult for vulnerable people.
"They're the ones that get the brunt of the anger," he said. "It's not so much the political side of the argument, but the neighbourhoods, the public interactions — it often casts the people who need the services in the worst eye."
Then there's the impact on the staff.
"It's hard to set down connections. Our job is based a lot on relationships, and if you can't build a relationship of stability, then it's hard to keep providing the services to the people who need them the most."
'Anchor of stability'
Looking ahead, Clay believes moving the centre again would be costly and unnecessary.
"If both sides could meet and come with a better plan going forward on how to provide services instead of fighting over locations, we can better serve the people," he said.
Some city councillors have suggested decentralizing services instead of keeping everything in one location.
Clay noted there is already a level of decentralization, with the offices of organizations like Peers Alliance, the Canadian Mental Health Association and the Native Council of P.E.I. spread across Charlottetown.
"Everything else around them is chaos. If you're living rough, there's a lot of reasons — you know, economic struggles, mental health struggles, addiction issues — there's a lot of reasons to be homelessness," Clay said.
"To have one little anchor of stability in that storm is [massive]."
Last year, the P.E.I. government released a five-year plan aimed at increasing the province's housing supply and addressing the ongoing housing crisis. The strategy takes a housing-first approach to people dealing with homelessness, focusing on transitional and supportive housing.
Clay said that plan is still in its early stages, but "the direction is definitely on the right path." Discussions are ongoing about the kind of housing needed to set people up for success.
He pointed to an existing program, the Salvation Army's New Roots initiative, as an example of what works. The program provides supportive transitional housing with caseworker check-ins to ensure clients are doing well.
"Those programs are starting to show the province and our funders that more supportive, more wrap-around supports will lead to more successful client interaction."
With files from Island Morning