People in need of supportive housing are our brothers and sisters, they are our sons and daughters, and in some cases they are our mothers and fathers. They are for the most part folks from our community who have experienced some difficulties and are in need of a helping hand. We need to welcome some of them to the Peninsula and be grateful that we have the means and opportunity to help people in need transition to a better future.
Supportive housing should be spread across Greater Victoria because people in need come from all over Greater Victoria. The more such housing is scattered across the landscape the less the impact in any one community. It would be a very poor solution to centralize all supportive housing in Victoria’s downtown core. A stable and supportive home is the first step in the process of rebuilding a life.
The inscription on New York’s Statue of Liberty says “Give me your tired, your poor … Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me.” I hope we on the Saanich Peninsula can be equally welcoming to our new neighbours on East Saanich Road.
Tom Gore
North Saanich
