Show me the money
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Updated: September 28, 2009 4:02 PM
Study after study concludes you have to spend in order to save when it comes to homelessness.
Yet the provincial budget update, released Sept. 1, is on the opposite course.
It’s disappointing, said Carole James, leader of the NDP and MLA for Victoria-Beacon Hill.
“There’s no reassurance in this budget that the money is coming,” James said. “We don’t need another study to show us that we can save money by providing homes for people.”
Despite a projected deficit of $2.8 billion this year in B.C., James proposed an even larger deficit to do the job. “Now is exactly the time to put stimulus funding into the economy and build affordable housing.”
Not so keen to speak about the recent budget is Housing and Social Development Minister Rich Coleman. He hasn’t responded to several requests for interviews in the past six weeks.
His silence isn’t promising.
The ministry’s operating expenses for housing is projected to drop to $360 million from last year’s $426 million. Capital expenditure on housing is set to fall from $402 million to zero.
The news isn’t all bad.
A recent addition to the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness board of directors is Shane Ramsey, CEO of funding agency B.C. Housing. While grant applications are prioritized based on their merits, having an organized coalition “will definitely be a benefit for Victoria,” said B.C. Housing spokesman Sam Rainboth.
rholmen@saanichnews.com
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