Re: Proposed supportive housing project at 222 Corfield St. in Parksville.
I live in Nanaimo but work in Parksville and Qualicum Beach in the health industry.
In Nanaimo we had the same type of housing built in the area I live in. Myself and many, many, many other residents in a four-block radius fought tooth and nail not to have this type of housing built. Fearing the same things as many, if not all of your letters to the editor complain about. It is beside many new condos and townhouses, and the fear was not just about the people being housed but also property values falling.
Well, almost two years after it was built, not one of our fears were realised. In fact we never see the residents hanging around on the street corners, using drugs or alcohol. My wife walks to work and home again. Her shifts start at 11 p.m.; she has told me that she never feels threatened or even sees anyone from the complex.
One thing to remember is, if you were in their situation you, too, would want a place. All we ever hear are people saying, myself included, that it will destroy our area and our own comforts.
Well the residential unit near me, bigger than the one proposed for Corfield, is no hindrance and is run very well. Even the people that live there show respect for all the people that live in the area.
That’s my perspective.
John Griffiths
Nanaimo
