Since your guest editorial, entitled Putting motel to use, there have been some comments concerning funding and also the possibility of an increase in crime if the Connaught Inn was to be transformed into a housing facility for around 100 street people.
The CBC did an interview with the mayor of Medicine Hat in May 2015 on their program As it Happens, entitled Medicine Hat becomes the first city in Canada to eliminate homelessness.
In 2009, Medicine Hat, with a population of over 63,000, pledged to eliminate homelessness. As a result, no one in the city spends more than 10 days in an emergency shelter or on the streets.
The mayor, Ted Clugston, as an alderman initially opposed the plan but with the help of Housing First they have succeeded. The mayor says that it costs about $20,000 a year to house someone but if they are on the street, it can cost up to $100,000 a year.
Emergency room visits and interactions with police have dropped but interestingly, court appearances went up because "they end up dealing with their past, atoning for their sins."
Mayor Clugston says "This is the cheapest and most humane way to treat people."
Maybe Mayor Clugston could be invited to be a guest speaker at one of our city council meetings.
Maybe this amazing community of Prince George, whose talented and resourceful people came together to start our university, UNBC, could put in place a much simpler, smaller project like this one using the Connaught or another suitable location.
Maybe then, Prince George could become the first city in B.C. and the second city in Canada to eliminate homelessness.
Diane Fuller
Prince George
