Housing and Crime, Top Priorities for Social Development Strategy

Monday, February 25, 2008 07:59 PM

Prince George City Council’s Committee of the Whole got and supported the work to date on the Social Development Strategy.

The strategy has nine components:

Housing
Public Safety
Health and Wellness
Arts
Culture
Literacy
Education
Heritage
Recreation

The report presented this evening looked at the first two items, housing and public safety.

On the issue of housing, the vision is to ensure there is an adequate supply and range of housing opportunities.

The strategy calls for an increase in the stock of safe affordable accessible, appropriate and diverse housing. It also has a goal of decreasing the number of Prince George residents in housing need and to support residents through all stages of housing from homelessness to independent market housing.

In order to achieve the goals, the strategy calls for involvement with a large number of stakeholders, and lots of collaboration and cooperation.

Social Facilitator, Chris Bone, says partners have been identified and they include, the Canadian Home Builders Association , the John Howard Society, Elizabeth Fry Society, Habitat for Humanity, Native Friendship Centre and Northern Health. The Housing Committee has started compiling the inventory of existing housing.

Councilor Don Zurowski asked if proper housing would resolve some of the challenges being faced by downtown. Bone says studies indicate there would be success, "If you house people, you address the peripheral issues."

"The housing strategy is the most complex" says Bone "The process is working we have the committee at the inventory stage and we are seeing results."

The second issue on the radar is Public Safety.

The strategy calls for more than efforts of the police, courts, and corrections to increase public safety. The plan suggests resources can be directed to reduce the availability and attractiveness of opportunities for criminal activity. Initiatives such as Block Watch and Rural Crime Watch, Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED), Speed Watch, and Citizens on Patrol (COPS) all help to reduce the opportunity for criminal activity.

There have already been meetings with the RCMP.

Councilor Deborah Munoz supports the idea of Crime Prevention through Environmental Design, transforming "dangerous" areas to areas the public enjoys frequenting "There was a tunnel in the States where there had been a great deal of drug activity, and they turned it into a major sculpture and lit it all up, and the public started to go there."

Mayor Colin Kinsley expressed concern about Council being advised on who and when to lobby for assistance from other levels of government "The reason I have that as my number one concern is because social service provision is the responsibility of governments other than local, although we do have a role to play."

There is a Social Development web page on the City's web site.

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Posted on Monday, February 25, 2008 07:59 PM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: YamaDooPolCat on February 25 2008 8:57 PM

Housing and Public Safety. So if we don't give them housing, then they will beat us up? Sounds logical.

Posted by: Nessy on February 26 2008 1:40 AM

Yup, any problem can be fixed by the government. They are so efficient and knowledgable to fix anything.

I like the thoughts of the former mayor Harold Moffat (late 1960's, early 1970's). He thought that church leaders could/should be more involved in solving social problems.

Posted by: Bridge on February 26 2008 9:37 AM

"The reason I have that as my number one concern is because social service provision is the responsibility of governments other than local, although we do have a role to play."

I have to say those are the only intelligent words that I have ever herd from the Mare. What he is admitting to is that we will again have to pass the buck on this one". The election is coming up in November so we have to get the smoke and mirrors project on the way.

Its like polution in our City they load us down with stupid bylaws when in reallity they really have on control over the bad polution that exists in the City. Its like the crap that the provincial government gave us on the climate change crap and how we will become involved. And what is this involvement a carbon tax that will probabaly help pay for the Olympics.

Is this where the City is coming from? lets get involved in social projects maybe we can get a few more bucks to help pay for our dream projects but that would not includet social projects.

Unless we have a council that considers our society as a whole and part of the economic picture in the decisions that they make we will get nothing else but baffle gab and higher taxes. Sad as it is all levels of goverment are giving us the same treatment.

And for those who think that we let the chips fall where they may when it comes to support of those less fortunate then ourselve think again. The problem we have downtown was created by poor planning that has created a social getto that we will probably never be able to correct.

This getto breeds crime that effects everone of us.

Cheers

Posted by: thereasonableman on February 26 2008 9:52 AM

There are people who work and live in this city, and own their home and would like safe housing.

Posted by: camoose on February 26 2008 11:08 AM

I see no metion of seniors on Chris Bone's list for housing. How come?

Very, very intelligent post Yama, keep up the good work. Just what I expect from you.

Posted by: Foo738 on February 26 2008 12:35 PM

Quote from the Mayor
"The reason I have that as my number one concern is because social service provision is the responsibility of governments other than local, although we do have a role to play."
That sounds like passing the buck.

You're right too Bone - where are the seniors? Lots of them who built this community and no representation on the housing committee perhaps it just got left off the list - let's hope.

Northern Health doesn't done a good job for senior's, i.e. taking away cottages with gardens and warehousing them. Wandering out in the garden from ground level is one of the few pleasures left for seniors.

Posted by: Harbinger on February 26 2008 7:30 PM

Might have to wait long enough until Bone himself/herself is a senior.

Posted by: Harbinger on February 26 2008 7:31 PM

Not too sure of gender. My apologies.

Posted by: caranmacil on February 27 2008 3:45 PM

Correction: if we DO give them housing, they will beat us up. Look at the bad neighbourhoods in PG. how far to the nearest low income type housing? I hope this doesnt involve income assisted housing complaexes.....