Homelessness and housing are two issues one local agency deals with on a daily basis.    

The Prince George branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association offers subsidized housing, through the BC Housing Commission, to city residents living with a severe and persistant mental illness.

Executive Director, Linda Doran, says she was pleased to see the issues focused on in Tuesday’s provincial budget and she’s hopeful the programs announced will translate into an increase in Prince George’s "housing stock" for residents with special needs.

"We don’t do a good job at all of providing housing to individuals who are more difficult to house, who may have some behaviours that limit where they can go to live," says Doran, "And, yet, we still need to address what their needs are."  She points out as many as one-third of homeless people have mental health issues and says, when you throw in addictions, that accounts for 75-percent of people living on the streets.

Doran does say there are several local agencies to help, with a number of shelter beds available, "But it needs to move beyond the shelters and look at more of the longer term housing."  She says the CMHA sees its clients benefit from that stability.  "You provide people with (a) subsidy, and some support in order to make it successful, and allow that individual to live more independently."

Doran says the CMHA has 19 single apartments and one house for five people.  She says over last few year’s the city’s stock has increased by little bits, with Northern Health responsible for approximately 60 similarly-subsidized units.

"The fact that government is addressing homelessness and housing is a real positive to see that in the budget," says Doran.  But, she says, now the waiting begins to see how much will be available to Prince George groups.