Comox council hears from local homeless coalition

Forsgren says in 2023, coalition member agencies have added 217 affordable housing and non-market units to the community, along with other developments underway that will add 67 units. Photo: Province of BC / Flickr

A Comox Valley group is requesting funds from Comox town council to support those facing homelessness in the area.

At the council meeting on April 3, Dayna Forsgren with the Comox Valley Coalition to End Homelessness said there are 272 people facing homelessness in the Comox Valley according to the 2023 point-in-time count, but Forsgren said the actual number of people experiencing homelessness is higher.

“So when you see these numbers in front of you, the 272 people identified as experiencing homelessness is an estimation it is absolutely larger than that number. We know that,” Forsgren said.

She said there is a disproportionate impact placed on marginalized and vulnerable community members in the area, with 28 per cent of those experiencing homelessness identifying as Indigenous and 27 per cent as senior citizens.

Forsgren said there are several factors contributing to homelessness in the community and understanding the challenges people face is important to be able to understand the root causes of homelessness.

“The systemic issues experienced nationwide include a lack of affordable housing discrimination based on race, gender, and disability, disabilities, income inequality, inadequate social safety nets and policies that criminalize homelessness,” Forsgren said

Forsgen said people experiencing homelessness have told her they do not feel they have a voice. 

“Some of the experiences they have are having to pack their items every day in the rain in the snow, not having facilities, basic rights not being met, not having facilities to shower or to use the washroom, being senior citizens needing to carry their items on their back all day,” she said

She said since she started with the coalition two months ago, advocating to emphasize the voices of people with lived experiences of homelessness is a big piece of her work.

The coalition is made up of staff and more than 50 agency program members. They meet regularly to communicate information and to coordinate actions to address homelessness in the community.

Forsgren said in 2023, coalition member agencies have added 217 affordable housing and non-market units to the community, along with other developments underway that will add 67 units.

Forsgren said that while some of the agencies have been approved for funding through the Comox Valley Regional District, the coalition is still looking for support from the town for three other agencies: the Comox Bay Care Society’s Care-A-Van, Comox Recovery Centre, and Stepping Stones Recovery House for Women. 

Forsgren said they are asking for $40,000 for the three agencies.

She said the Comox Bay Care Society’s Care-A-Van service is a mobile homeless outreach service that brings services and programs to those who need them in the community.

The Comox Recovery Centre is a service for the community providing support to men aged 19 and older with a focus on addressing substance use disorders and housing instability. 

Forsgren said Stepping Stones Recovery House for Women is a home that supports 32 women each year and provides financial support for recovery from substance use. The house also provides counselling, life skills training and substance misuse healing.

Forsgen said the coalition is entering a strategic planning process to figure out the direction the coalition wants to adapt to.

After the presentation, Mayor Nicole Minions asked if the Care-A-Van would be doing their services in Comox as Comox taxes would be going towards the funding.

“When we look at it's about $6 to $7 per household when we look at around $40,000. It's really important that whatever organizations are really impacting Comox residents are available to Comox residents,” Minions said. 

Forsgen said although she does not know the exact locations they attend, the service is mobile and it goes to the various communities in the Comox Valley including Comox.

Councillor Ken Grant asked why there is an increase of people experiencing homelessness in the Comox Valley.

“My question is, where are these people coming from? Because those 217 [affordable housing units] 10 years ago solved the problem, and now it's not even close,” Grant said. “I talked to people around town, they all say, ‘Oh, they're all locals.’ Well, they're not I can tell you, they're coming from somewhere. I don't know how they're getting here or what the deal is, but it's just getting exponentially worse all the time.”

Forsgen said high rental prices are pushing people from larger communities to smaller ones like Comox.

“I think this is what we're seeing is really just this movement of people who are all of a sudden, unable to, to survive in cities that are being gentrified, and where prices are being inflated,” Forsgen said. “I think this is what's happening really across the island, I see a lot of development taking place, a lot of the homes where people would have had the ability to afford the rent are being renovated and then flipped.”

Mayor Minions closed the discussion, saying people need to have their voices heard. She said the funding decision will be made in two weeks.

Funding Note: This story was produced with funding support from the Local Journalism Initiative, administered by the Community Radio Fund of Canada.