BC Housing has been granted a zoning amendment for a temporary homeless shelter at the Upper Deck Guest House, and it’s expected shelter clients will be able to move in by Christmas.
Final approval from Sechelt council came after a public hearing Tuesday night and two votes on Wednesday.
The travellers’ hostel on the upper floor of 5653 Wharf Ave. will not be able to take as many clients as a proposed temporary shelter at Ebbtide Street and Trail Avenue, but it became BC Housing’s only option after council rejected a request to lease the Ebbtide lot.
Both proposals faced some community opposition, but there was little of that on display at the Dec. 19 public hearing where the majority of speakers were in favour of the rezoning, with more than one calling it an “elegant solution.”
Many used their time to focus on the desperate situation of the homeless on the Sunshine Coast instead of the zoning issue. A transit driver said some homeless people ride the bus during the day just to have somewhere warm to sit; another person talked about the need for “a meal, a bed and someone to give a damn.”
It was suggested by one speaker that others with concerns about the shelter were afraid to come forward. The main objections raised focused on technical issues such as parking, rights-of-way, accessibility and occupancy limits and whether the building’s owners were in full agreement with BC Housing’s plan.
Bill Conway, chair of the district’s accessibility advisory committee, said he was in full support of the proposal and felt any needed modifications could be easily made.
Tanya Hall, who owns the Upper Deck, addressed some of the other issues. She explained while she owns the business, the property and building are owned by family members and they all supported the zoning application and allowed BC Housing to take the lead.
The written submissions tended to mirror the presentations made at the hearing.
Councillors went on to unanimously support the Upper Deck application at second reading early Wednesday morning, and again when the zoning was up for final adoption Wednesday night.
Coun. Noel Muller said, “We’ve heard from the community loud and clear that this is a site that’s acceptable to them.”
Mayor Bruce Milne commented on the difference in tone between the public hearing and earlier meetings on the Ebbtide proposal.
“It tells you everything you need to know,” he said. “It did confirm to me that we made the right decision on Ebbtide, and we’re about to make the right decision on this.”
He also said the district should not lose sight of the concerns and ensure they follow up with BC Housing and shelter operator RainCity.
BC Housing’s Craig Crawford said previously that if council approved the zoning Dec. 20, they’d be ready to take shelter clients immediately. The agency’s 29-month lease on the building started Dec. 1 and renovation work was already well underway as of Wednesday.
As well as having a few more beds than the current space at St. Hilda’s, the Upper Deck shelter will be able to operate 24/7 and offer meals, support services, case planning, health services and counselling.
Sechelt council, meanwhile, plans to launch “a full public process” early next year in an effort to find a suitable site for a permanent shelter, and BC Housing will be moving forward with its plans for a supportive housing development on property it owns on Hightide Avenue.
