FILE PHOTO.

(BEN BULMER / iNFOnews.ca)

A Vernon councillor is proposing to put a temporary cap on supportive housing projects in one area of the city to see what effect housing the unhoused has on the neighbours.

The move is not to block supportive housing from the city, Vernon councillor Kari Gares told iNFOnews.ca, but to assess the impact the projects have on residents and business owners nearby.

"I want to make this very, very clear, I'm not against (supportive housing) because they are there, and they help people," Coun. Gares said. "This is really coming down to addressing the concerns of those that are living in the neighbourhood that are fearing for their safety."

On Feb. 24 she put forward a notice of motion to put a temporary cap on supportive housing projects pending a comprehensive impact study.

Coun. Gares said she put forward the motion after receiving feedback from people living around Vernon's homeless shelter.

The councillor said many who live in the proximity of the homeless shelter on 37 Street and 27 Avenue have been affected by those forced to use the shelter.

"Lots of residents in that area have been experiencing fires, vandalism, break-ins... there's still defecation that's happening," Coun. Gares said. "Individuals have come forward and they've said, 'we're scared.'"

She said the impacts are likely not being reported to the city, as the individual strata corporations are dealing with it themselves.

Coun. Gares highlighted the six-block radius from the Freshco grocery store on 30 Avenue and 35 Street to 37 Street and 25 Avenue which is home to two supportive housing buildings, the Upper Room Mission and the homeless shelter.

It's also an area where people in a lower socioeconomic demographic live, including plenty of seniors in apartments.

She said she's responding to the concerns she hears from many of the seniors who say that the overall livability of the neighbourhood is declining.

Coun. Gares questions the logic of having all these services in close proximity to one another.

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Like many other municipal leaders across the province, she's critical of BC Housing's authority to override local bylaws and push through projects regardless of whether cities and municipalities want them or not.

Kamloops council recently cried foul when BC Housing announced a plan for a new homeless shelter without consulting the city. Kamloops argued it goes against an agreement it made with BC Housing that said the two would work together to identify potential shelter locations.

If Coun. Gares' motion passes it won't immediately change anything as there are no supportive housing projects currently in the works.

However, she disputes that because of this the motion is a moot point.

"It's sending a message to BC Housing to say, work with us," she said.

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The councillor said the anti-social behaviour appears to accumulate at the homeless shelter on 37 Street, not at the transitional housing where people continue their recovery.

"I think it's really, really critical that people understand that we're not talking about the people themselves," she said. "The concern is the behaviour that is being attributed... residents have that concern and they're hoping that council can address it."

The councillor is steadfast that she's not against shelters and supportive housing and has backed them at council. She says she has a family member that uses the shelter.

"It's about the prospect of more coming in and being isolated in a single area of a neighbourhood," she said.

Coun. Gares questions whether it's sensible to be putting all the supportive housing in the same Vernon neighbourhood.

She wouldn't speculate where in Vernon would be a better location, and knows that there will almost certainly be pushback from residents regardless of which neighbourhood is chosen.

"The thing that I'm addressing is: Are there better areas that we can do these facilities that may not necessarily have the impact that we believe they're having?" she said.

The councillor points out that there has never been an assessment done to look at the impact of the shelter and the supportive housing.

"It's not to say they're bad. I'm not saying that. I'm just simply saying, are we doing enough to ensure the viability of the neighbourhood for everyone?" she said.

Coun. Gares motion will be presented to Vernon council at its March 10 meeting.

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