The Burnaby Task Force on Homelessness has surveyed Burnaby's provincial candidates to see what they would do to help local people living on the streets.
The task force posed five questions to Burnaby candidates of all four parties, asking what they would do to address homelessness and ensure short-term/transitional housing, affordable housing, and supported housing in Burnaby specifically.
"Housing and services very much needs to be part of an election issue, and we're hoping having the questionnaires and responses will help," said task force spokesperson Wanda Mulholland. "That's our goal."
Homelessness has always been a hotly debated issue in Burnaby. The city has no permanent, year-round, homeless shelter, in part due to Mayor Derek Corrigan's insistence that housing is not a municipal responsibility. Burnaby, being a largely NDP-run town, has butt heads with the Liberal government over housing, each accusing the other of being uncooperative.
Mulholland was reticent to offer any commentary on which party gave the best responses to meet the needs of Burnaby's homeless population.
"The fact that all parties responded to the questionnaire in a timely manner shows they are all taking this issue very seriously," she said. "The task force is non-partisan and is willing to work with any and all of them."
In the survey responses, the Greens said they want government to buy housing and help non-profits buy housing, and that they will bring in a provincial housing plan, while advocating for a national one as well. The Liberals mostly pointed to what they have done in the past, stating that they've been working hard to end homelessness, while citing figures that show Vancouver's homeless population has declined from 811 to 154, while the number of people in shelters has increased.
But the Liberals also seem to be shifting the focus to Burnaby with their collective response.
"We need cooperation and commitment from the City of Burnaby. We would encourage Burnaby voters and members of the Burnaby Task Force on Homelessness to call the City of Burnaby to work with the provincial government to ensure that short-term housing is available for those who need it most," their reply states. "We encourage the task force and Burnaby voters to call on the city to partner with the province and provide city-owned land for supportive housing projects, as the eight other municipalities have done."
If elected, the Liberals would continue funding homeless outreach programs across B.C.
The Liberals also stated that since 2001, they have added 21,000 new units of affordable housing across B.C., and more than 18,000 are complete, while the remaining are "in development or under construction." They plan to build 2,200 new units of supportive housing in B.C.
The collective response from Burnaby's NDP candidates stated the party would also build "up to" 1,500 units of affordable, non-profit, cooperative and rental housing for low-and moderate-income families, seniors and individuals each year. (That's 700 fewer units than what the Liberals are promising, but the NDP would build up to 1,500 every year. Neither stated how many of those units would be in Burnaby, if any.)
The NDP stated they would work with the City of Burnaby on a "variety of housing solutions, as well as transitional housing to address the needs of the homeless." As for the task force's question on the growing number of citizens dealing with homelessness, the NDP reiterated the 1,500 units they are promising.
B.C. Conservative candidate Wayne Marklund replied to the survey, stating that "everyone should be treated with respect and dignity."
"There are a few short-term shelters in Burnaby. We must work with B.C. Housing and the City of Burnaby to ensure that a permanent shelter is available for everyone that is in need," he said. "It is quite obvious we need to get B.C. Housing, the City of Burnaby and the provincial government to sit down and develop a program that would begin to meet the growing needs of the homeless community in Burnaby."
To read the full responses to the task force's survey, go to www. burnabyhomelesstaskforce.org.
