Here’s what NDP Kootenay Columbia MP Wayne Stetski said in the House of Commons on Jan. 31.
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Mr. Speaker, I would also like to thank my colleague for her tireless
advocacy for affordable housing across Canada.
Yesterday was mental health awareness day and in question period, I raised
the particular challenges faced by people with mental illnesses around
housing. I met with a woman in one of the communities in my riding who is
living in a storage unit. I had that confirmed afterward by some of the
municipal people. I wonder if the member could talk about the need for
enhanced funding for both mental illness and housing and the relationship
between the two.
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Mr. Speaker, I know my colleague across the floor cares about people. In
that context, I would like to read something that I received from Cheryl
Dowden, the co-chair of the Nelson Committee on Homelessness. Nelson is a
community in my riding of Kootenay—Columbia.
It states that a recent federally funded count identified 132 people who
were homeless in Nelson, which has a population of 10,664 people. That’s
over 1% of the population. Of the 101 people who agreed to be surveyed, 56%
reported that they first experienced homelessness before the age of 19
years. One-third of all people surveyed in Nelson experiencing homelessness
were youth 24 years old and under. The overall vacancy rate for rental
housing in 2017 in Nelson was 0%.
Does that not indicate a fundamental failure in the housing that is
currently being offered to Canadians, and particularly the people in
Nelson?
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Madam Speaker, my riding is adjacent to South Okanagan—West Kootenay, and my
communities are experiencing the same kinds of issues and challenges. We
have been members of Parliament now for three years, and in my riding of
Kootenay—Columbia the situation continues to get worse. The number one issue
for businesses is affordable housing to support new employees and new staff.
It is just not there.
I would be interested in the member’s perspective in terms of the last three
years. Have things become better or worse in his riding? In my riding they
continue to get worse.
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Madam Speaker, Erin from the homeless outreach and homelessness prevention
program in Cranbrook has sent me four pages of concerns that we have in the
city of Cranbrook. I will just quickly cover three of them.
A woman with a young baby had to suddenly flee her spouse after a severely
violent event. All she could find was a one-bedroom suite for $1,000 plus
utilities, as her 30-day stay in the local transition house was up and there
was no space in second-stage housing.
A veteran from the Canadian Armed Forces was charged $850 for rent. When the
landlord realized this person had a support animal for PTSD, this person was
charged an additional $150 per month. There were no other housing options
for this person.
Young indigenous parents were struggling for the return of their three
children. They worked to get their personal issues in check enough to have
them returned, but because they do not have a large enough home, the
children are not permitted to live with them. This is a very common
occurrence.
Is the Liberal government not failing that single mother, that veteran and
that indigenous family when it comes to housing?