Unmet needs starting to be addressed in wake of Kerr fire
By Nelson Daily Editor
By Timothy Schafer, The Nelson Daily
The Villa Motel will be coming forward with accommodations for at least one month for some of the around 60 people who were left homeless after the Kerr Apartment Building burned on Jan. 6, the city’s mayor announced Monday night.
John Dooley said although long-term accommodations for the people displaced by the devastating fire remain a concern, there are many people finding places to stay in the short term, including the North Shore motel.
That revelation arose out of the findings of the Unmet Needs Committee who convened early Monday to discuss how to house the people left homeless by the fire last week.
Hopefully, within one month, most of the people will have solved their accommodation dilemma with help of Emergency Social Services, said Mayor Dooley.
“The long-term challenge, when you lose (33) units in a community our size, it’s not that easy to replace them in a short period of time,” he said. “We’re confident with the various agencies we’ll meet that need.”
Of the 60 people who were displaced by the fire, 28 have already found additional accommodations, said City manager Kevin Cormack.
The Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) is coordinating government agencies and service providers in the recovery efforts, finding temporary accommodation at The Villa Motel until the end of the month for 11 residents who have not found an alternative place to stay.
“Maybe our Emergency Operation Centre will stay in place until the (end of the month),” Cormack said.
Mayor Dooley noted there were several people who have not shown up to the emergency centre and enlisted their aid in finding a new place to live.
“They have gone on and found places to live already,” he said. “Everybody’s needs are being met in the short term. In the long term it’s going to be a tougher situation.”
The key messages coming out of the meeting were money and housing is still needed to address how the nearly 60 people left homeless by the fire will be able to put their lives back together.
The Red Cross, the Salvation Army and other organizations are conducting the assessments and working cooperatively to get residents back on their feet as quickly as possible, said Mayor Dooley.
But any strategy going forward on housing needs has to be a regional strategy, it can’t only be a City of Nelson initiative, he added.
Donations continue to pour in
Donations in aid of the Kerr’s Apartment residents have been generous and numerous with a number of companies making timely donations of materials and funds.
Walmart has partnered with the Red Cross over a number of years to ensure their disaster response funding program is viable, said EOC public information officer Bill Macpherson.
They have assisted Kerr residents with fundraising and the provision of hygiene kits and gift cards.
As well, Island Farms Dairy has donated 300 litres of milk to Our Daily Bread — which is offering free lunch and dinner to Kerr Apartment residents until the end of the month.
Both Safeway Canada and Save-On Foods have offered food supplies and support, and Country Furniture and Decor in Nelson donated 12 new mattresses. Other corporations have made significant financial contributions.
Macpherson said people outside of Nelson have contributed over seven truckloads of clothing and household goods.
“I am deeply moved by this community and how we respond to people in need,” said Coun. Deb Kozak.
She noted the stream of donations, fundraising events, offers of shelter and financial contributions from Nelson and area residents has been phenomenal.
People wishing to contribute financially, or volunteer in some capacity, are asked to contact the Salvation Army (352-3488) or the Red Cross (354-4456).
At this time, donations of clothing, bedding and household goods are sufficient. But the need now is also for money because those people lost everything they had, said Mayor Dooley.
“They need money to re-establish themselves,” he said.
Mount St. Francis an alternative?
The possibility of using Mount St. Francis as a place to house those left homeless by the Kerr fire was raised by Coun. Donna Macdonald on Monday night.
She wondered if the former publicly-run senior’s long-term care home and hospital was discussed by the Unmet Needs Committee as a solution to house people.
“No, it didn’t come up,” said Mayor John Dooley. “But someone did mention the old dorms up on Selkirk (College grounds).”
But those are projects that would have to be looked at in the long term, he said. To get something like Mount St. Francis up and running, after sitting idle for three years, would take a considerable length of time.
“It was shut down for probably a good reason, none the least which was the asbestos and the galvanizing it contained, narrow hallways and single glazed windows,” Mayor Dooley added.
City manager Kevin Cormack said City council should let the Unmet Needs Committee handle the answer of where to house the people, to work through the process, and if an option presented itself, to ask the appropriate people to help set it up.
“There are some real quality people on that committee who are well versed with housing people. We should let them identify it and look for solutions,” he said.
Comments