Dear Editor:
I'm thrilled to hear that the Portland Hotel Society is attempting to convert the 401 Motel into transitional housing for those in need.
The high cost of housing in Burnaby and the rest of the Lower Mainland has made it next to impossible for people who have fallen on hard times to get back on their feet, and the lack of pure rental stock or subsidized housing has exacerbated those problems. This has led to higher rates of poverty in the area and an increasing cost of living that's making it difficult for families to afford the basics of survival. The increase in food bank usage is just another symptom of high housing costs and the lack of affordable housing, even if it's transitional like the 401 Motor Inn proposal would be.
Everyone agrees that much more needs to be done to provide for the housing needs of people in the city, and that transitional housing would seem to be the best choice at the current time.
I realize it's a short timeframe, but I urge council to see whether converting the motel could be done, even if the information is simply used as a means of determining how to make similar zoning and usage changes in other locations throughout the city.
Trevor Ritchie, Burnaby
