Prince George, B.C. – Members of the Community Partners Addressing Homelessness, (CPAH) have delivered a message to Prince George City Council.

 

With the changes at City Hall to reduce the expenditures, CPAH expressed “deep concern with regard to the recent decisions made to cut Social Development staff positions”.

 

Specifically, the staff position   CPAH is talking about has Chris Bone moved out of Social Development and into the role of Manager of Communications and Community Engagement.

 

“The deletion of key positions and the redeployment of city staff send a message to the community that the Social Development agenda is no longer seen as important to City Council, despite the public supporting this as a high priority throughout the MyPG consultation process” reads the letter from CPAH to Council.   The Committee says it is concerned the work that has been done, including community engagement, will be undermined “resulting in a significant loss of connection between the community and City Hall, and decreased public confidence in our local government to represent the interests of all community members, not just businesses.”

 

CPAH says it believes   this “shifting of focus away from social development is shortsighted.”

 

The presentation went on to state that the City will not become more “business friendly” if people have less disposable income as a result of the austerity measures in the City’s budget.

 

We believe that this shifting of focus away from social development is shortsighted. Efforts to make Prince George more “business friendly” will not be achieved if people of this community are left without disposable income or means of providing for their families due to austerity measures in the City budget. 

 

CPAH called for the Mayor and Council to reinstate the Social Development department, but the Mayor gave no promises.

 

Prior to being elected to Council in 2008, while still President of the Downtown Business Improvement Association, Mayor Green travelled to Portland Oregon as a member of a delegation which examined the Portland project which reduced homelessness in that community. She says that trip was both personally and professionally important to her. She says she learned from that trip that   “it takes everyone” to work together, and noted “The City can’t do it alone”.  Mayor Green says  social policy is important to Council “We are fiscally challenged, there is no secret about that. It’s been a difficult decision we’ve made in the past to get us to where we are.”   She says she has no magic answer to their request, and doesn’t see the work of the Beyond Homelessness Committee diminishing, but did not offer any assurance that Chris Bone would be back in her role as Director of Social Development on a full time basis anytime soon.