Housing still the greatest need for former Kerr residents
By Nelson Daily Editor
By Timothy Schafer, The Nelson Daily
Long-term housing continues to be the greatest need for those displaced by the Kerr Apartment Building fire last month, according to the Unmet Needs Committee.
The chair of the committee, Allison Alder of Selkirk College, said the primary goal of the committee is getting people back on their feet, and that footing represents finding a home to replace the one residents lost in the fire.
“But the extremely low vacancy rate in Nelson has presented a major challenge for displaced residents and service providers,” said Alder. “Greatest needs really vary, from low cost housing in town, to setting up homes, to replacing work and school equipment.”
Alder said people are beginning to miss the things that helped them stay balanced, like sports equipment. Kidsport is covering the children’s sports equipment, but there is no support available for adults in that way.
However, committee members are “actively looking” at ways to address immediate needs — since most people lost everything in the fire — as well as ensuring there are sufficient resources to look after long term needs.
Of the 64 people registered the night of the fire, 51 have gone through the assessment process with the Red Cross. Alder said they do not know how many people have found permanent housing and how many are only in short term housing.
All but six people are in either short or long-term housing.
“The families are all placed in suitable places,” she said.
Nelson Fire and Rescue is allowing people back into portions of the building each day for a short period of time in order to search through what might remain of their belongings.
The committee has adopted the funding principles of the Red Cross and Salvation Army as their standard, overseeing and making decisions on how funds and donations are dispersed.
Alder said some short-term needs that have already been addressed by the committee and local service providers include: short term accommodations, clothing, food and housewares.
Donations of furniture will be appreciated as long-term housing is found for residents displaced by the Kerr Apartments fire.
If you wish to donate furniture you can call the Salvation Army at 352-3488 to provide details of the items you have available. A list will be maintained and, as items are needed, donors will be contacted and the items picked up and delivered.
Unmet Needs Committee
An Unmet Needs Committee has been established to assist with the long term needs of residents.
The committee will oversee the disbursement of funds donated and raised, and work toward long term housing solutions. The committee is chaired by Allison Alder from Selkirk College.
The City of Nelson has one representative on this committee, which also includes members from the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, Selkirk College, a tenant representative and a broad range of community service providers.
In order to facilitate communication and keep residents and community members up to date on recent developments and needs, the City of Nelson is making this web space available for use by committee members.
Kerr Apartments fire and aftermath
An early morning fire on Jan. 6 destroyed the Kerr Apartment Building on Victoria Street. There were approximately 75 residents living in the 32-unit building at the time of the fire. No one was injured in the blaze.
Local hotels housed displaced residents in the short-term, while service providers began assessing the immediate and longer-term needs of residents.
The City of Nelson opened a Level 1 Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) to assist residents and provide initial coordination and support following the emergency.
EOCs tend to be relatively short in duration, and, once coordination and support was established through a variety of service providers within the community, the EOC was demobilized.
The Red Cross continues to operate a Resiliency Centre at 903B Nelson Ave., to continue needs assessments and liaise with other support agencies.
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