NANAIMO — Councillors have opted not to take any immediate action surrounding a controversial downtown resource centre, despite growing concerns from neighbours.
Council formally received a letter from Sydney Robertson, on behalf of the South End Community Association, on Monday, Sept. 8, requesting immediate closure of “The Hub”, a resource and drop-in centre at 55 Victoria Rd., with a main entrance on Nicol St.
In her letter, Robertson said they’ve supported the project as much as possible and tried to make the situation work.
“We’re aware of, and empathetic to, the need for supports for the many people in our city experiencing homelessness, and so last month, I hesitatingly voiced some support toward extending the service until the end of March, in the same breath stipulating that a lot of mitigation would be needed. I no longer believe that enough mitigation is possible.”
The Hub is operated by Island Crisis Care Society and Nanaimo Family Life Association and offers both daytime drop-in services and connections to community supports, as well as a nighttime shelter.
It opened in January.
Robertson cited an “alarming increase” in people congregating around the Hub, with the amount of social disorder increasing both in severity and quantity of call-outs.
“We’re aware of everyone’s good intentions, but we’re living inside the unintended consequences of opening only one site for all of Nanaimo, and those unintended consequences are relentless, damaging, traumatic, and costly, and a body blow to our neighbourhood’s sense of safety and community.”
Speaking during Council’s meeting on Monday, Robertson added to her letter, saying the concentration of services, including the Hub, has become “too much for my neighbours to withstand”.
She lobbied for its closure, while admitting it was a very difficult request to make.
“We don’t live with one supportive housing building at a time or one support service at a time, we live with all of them, and context is what’s really important to all of us. The letter that I sent to you from SECA, it was very hard letter to write, asking that you close the Hub as soon as possible. I know that’s not an easy decision and not an easy process, but that’s the request that we’ve come to.”
She suggested the people who are being helped inside the Hub are coming at the expense of those being harmed outside.
A City report looking into its successes and challenges after six months of operations admitted while the facility is making a difference in the lives of those on the street, safety concerns were high from neighbouring residents.
Open drug use, the leaving behind of debris and human waste, along with various degrees of social disorder were all connected to the facility and those using the service.
Those concerns came to a boiling point in mid-July when south Nanaimo residents lobbied Council for a new location, citing “a total degradation of our neighbourhood” as a result of the Hub.
At the time, Councillors supported $125,000 of City funding to keep the facility open through to the end of March 2026, while also instructing City staff to work with service providers at the Hub to find another location.
Council did not debate or discuss Robertson’s letter Monday night, simply receiving it for information as is customary for correspondence at the Council table.
Mayor Leonard Krog offered his support to Robertson and the plight of the community.
“Council is very well aware of the concerns. It absorbs and continues to absorb a fair bit of Council time and staff time tonight, I won’t say anything further with respect to it.”
The facility serves between 70 and 80 people daily, while an overnight shelter is near capacity since opening in January.
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