I read with interest the recent letter to the editor, Moratorium necessary for balance, by Kylee Nixon and Nicholas Hermansen [September 2015]. I hope to add some value to the discussion.

First of all, I wholeheartedly agree with Nixon and Hermansen’s comment that McCauley should not be seen as the “THE neighbourhood for low income housing in Edmonton.” It is true that McCauley has more than its share of social housing. This is why Bissell Centre supported the original Moratorium on Non-Market Housing three years ago. We also support the extension of the moratorium.

However, the suggestion that social housing increases poverty levels in a neighbourhood and contributes to the “predatory problems of slum landlords, prostitution, and drug trafficking” is in many, if not most, cases not true. Affordable and supportive housing offers people alternatives to slum landlords. Operators of such housing also work to curtail the presence of drug dealers in their facilities.

There is ample evidence that indicates little or no correlation between crime rates and the location of safe and affordable housing. That said, the over-saturation of such housing in one neighbourhood is not the answer. Nixon and Hermansen’s call for balance is reasonable and should not be simply brushed away with accusations of NIMBYism.

I know many residents have issues about the number of agencies like Bissell Centre that are located in the inner city. While I will not speak for other agencies, I agree that our location does draw homeless people to our doors. It is also true that we have been in the neighbourhood since 1910. We are property owners. We work closely with the police to address drug dealers, support victims of violent crime, and participate in neighbourhood clean-ups and in events in McCauley like the Heart of the City Festival, which we helped found.

There are at least five Housing First providers among inner city agencies and each one houses the chronically homeless across the city. Bissell Centre, for example, does not house homeless individuals and families in the McCauley area.

Bissell Centre believes that the challenges around supportive and affordable housing should be met by neighbourhoods across the city and that it is not appropriate to continue to see McCauley as the “go-to” place for these developments. The wait for Edmonton Housing, for example, is around three years, which is unacceptable. And the lack of supportive housing is disturbing. Poverty is an issue we all face, not just agencies or governments or residents in neighbourhoods. It will take collective effort to change things for the better.

As a member of the Mayor’s Task Force to Eliminate Poverty and as the Task Force’s co-chair on Housing and Transportation, I have been vocal about ensuring more equity across the city in terms of the location of social housing and also have been a voice for more innovative approaches to improving the affordability of housing run by responsible landlords. And I have to say, many voices at that table were in agreement.

I encourage you to go to
www.endpovertyedmonton.ca and download the Task Force report that recently was accepted by City Council and take a good look at the many strategies identified to address many of the concerns raised by Nixon and Hermansen.

Mark Holmgren, CEO
Bissell Centre