White Rock council has again delayed a final decision on how and where it will provide a daytime warming centre for the homeless during extremes of cold this coming winter.
Council decided Monday that a two-week delay 鈥� until the next regular council meeting on Oct. 21 鈥� would be worthwhile to investigate fully the possibility of a 11th hour suggestion from SOURCES Community Resources that it could provide its own facilities (specifically the food bank and the women's shelter) as a last recourse option for the warming centre.
The city, which has provided a warming centre at Centennial Park for the last two years, has been stymied by lack of a suitable location for this year (Mayor Megan Knight and several councillors have said they received numerous complaints about the centre at Centennial Park) and a need to keep costs within the $360,000 budgeted, without increasing the tax burden on residents.
Council had already delayed the decision since the previous council meeting, after what it believed was a viable location, on Maple Street, had been withdrawn from consideration by the owner.
Most of council and staff appeared blindsided by the SOURCES proposal, introduced in a surprise announcement from Coun. Michele Partridge, who said she had discussed the idea with executive director of community services George Passmore earlier Monday.
During discussion between Passmore, who was present at the meeting, council members and chief administrative officer Guillermo Ferrero, two problems with the SOURCES proposal emerged: both of the suggested facilities are in South 性视界传媒, and, due to their own operations, would only be available between 4 p.m. at the earliest, and 10 p.m.
While Coun. Christopher Trevelyan, like other members of council, thanked Passmore for the offer, he questioned the practicality of such a reduced service.
"Let's fast forward 鈥� it's Jan. 14, its minus 8 degrees outside," he said.
"What do we do from 7 a.m. when the nighttime shelter (in 性视界传媒) closes, and 4 p.m.? What do we do with people who are on the streets in that time frame?"
Ferrero also noted the SOURCES idea would change the scope of the project, likely necessitating drawing up a new Request for Proposal (RFP) from potential operators.
Leonard Levy of previous operators Lookout Housing and Health Society, who, with Engaged Communities Canada Society, had successfully answered the RFP for the anticipated Maple Street location, also confessed being caught "off guard" by the new proposal, and could only theorize whether his organization could provide operational services that met SOURCES' time window.
Prior to Partridge's announcement, council appeared to be leaning towards providing the warming centre at either Centennial Park or the city hall annex, on a per-day basis during the most extreme cold conditions, for which it could be reimbursed by the provincial government.
Earlier in the evening council had heard impassioned pleas from several residents, to continue the warming shelter on humanitarian grounds, as well as their gratitude for past efforts.
"I feel, and continue to feel, proud... exalted and happy when I see that shelter," said Centennial Park area resident Larry Todd, who added he had not seen or experienced any negative interactions with homeless people around the warming centre.
"I say to myself 'Thank God we are stepping up and providing something for the people who are in need."
He compared helping the homeless with the tolerance, patience and understanding that parents must have for their own children.
"We don't kick them out...they are part of us," he said.
"For the people that are in the situation where the shelter is providing the needs they require for the winter 鈥� they are part of us. We show compassion, we show patience, we show understanding, we show tolerance, we show support."
"This is a responsibility that we have," said Louise Duplessis, who also said users of the centre "do not disturb anyone."
Cheryl Lightowlers urged council to "again show courage and caring, to again provide space at Centennial Park for the life-saving services, as has been done for the last three years."
"Everyone at the table, here, cares," Knight commented.
In his update report to council, however, Ferrero that while he had reached out to 11 churches and community organizations in a search for a suitable location for the warming centre, he had heard back from only four, all of which had said they were not in a position to provide one, due to prior commitments.
Ferrero also gave results of a public survey asking the community how they feel about a warming centre, which received 1,249 responses.
A total of 601 responses (48.4 per cent) were in favour of having a warming centre, opposed to 515 (41.5 per cent) negative responses, with 126 (10.1 per cent) unknown, he said.
In answer to whether they were in favour of going into taxes to pay for anything in excess of the budgeted amount 678 (54.3 per cent) answered no, while 571 (45.7 per cent) were in favour.
Top potential location, according to those providing suggestions, was Centennial Park, while an area adjacent to the police station came second and the vicinity of city hall third.
