Port Alberni Friendship Center selected to run shelter

BC Housing didn’t renew shelter society’s contract, after organization ran the facility since its opening in 2019

By Denise Titian and Karly Blats Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter and Contributor

PortAlberni, BC - BC Housing has selected the PortAlberni Friendship Centre (PAFC) as the new operator of the Our Home on Eighth supportive housing and shelter building.

“The PortAlberni Friendship Center is excited at the opportunity to be the new operator of Our Home on Eighth,” said PAFC Executive Director Cyndi Stevens. She went on to say that the PAFC has extensive experience in delivering this type of support and service in the valley.

“We have been providing services, programming, culturally comprehensive events and programming, and celebrating special occasions with the community since 1965,” Stevens added. “We bring the strength of expertise along with those of our solid and long-standing partnerships and relationships that we have built within PortAlberni and beyond.”

Built in 2019, Our Home on Eighth provides 30 supportive housing units, each with a bathroom and kitchenette, and 20 shelter spaces available to people experiencing or at risk of homelessness in the community.At the time the PortAlberni Shelter Society (PASS) was awarded the contract to run the facility.

Not long after it opened concerns about how the shelter was being run were raised and protestors set up camp on the lawns outside the shelter in the fall of 2020. The encampment came down on BC Housing’s promise of a third-party review of services.

The provincial review report was released in February 2021. In January 2023 Ha-Shilth-Sa reported that BC Housing would cancel its service contract for Our Home on Eighth with the PortAlberni Shelter Society without stating a reason. The provincial review report, however, noted that a list of individuals banned from the facility was circulating and, at one point in time, contained 100 names.

“Another, more recent version (of the list) has 50 names,” states the report.

“How these lists came to be publicly circulated is unknown, but it has resulted in the further stigmatization of those barred individuals.”

BC Housing said they have a duty to ensure shelters and supportive housing facilities are appropriately operated and that residents and staff are being supported.

“This duty is for shelter guests and supportive housing residents, as well as the community of PortAlberni,” BC Housing said. “Because this matter is being discussed through legal counsel, we cannot comment further.”

Wes Hewitt, PASS executive director, said he has not had any discussions with BC Housing about why their contract was cancelled.

“There’s been no public disclosure of anything like that. [BC Housing] just used the 90-day clause and that was it,” Hewitt said.

Hewitt said it’s disappointing to see PASS’s contract end as the society has put a lot of time and energy into making Our Home on Eighth what it is today.

“This building wouldn’t be here if it hadn’t been for us,” Hewitt said. “We spent over a quarter of a million dollars of our own money and negotiated all the lease agreements and things with Island Health for the property.”

The society will continue to operate other facilities in theAlberni Valley, including the supportive home on Maitland Street, the Overdose Prevention Site and sobering centre, among others.

“This is not going to be the end of PASS by any means. We have a lot of other things that we do, other sites and other programs,” Hewitt said. “We’re alive and well and we’re always looking for the support in the community. We’re thankful for the support that we get and we’ve had a lot of people that have donated to us because of the announcement and showed their support.”

The 2021 Point in Time Homeless Count revealed that there are about 125 people experiencing homelessness in Port Alberni.About 65 percent of that number identify as Indigenous.Aboriginal people make up 17 percent of the population of PortAlberni, according to census data. In January 2023 BC Housing invited select non-profit housing and shelter operators to submit proposals to operate Our Home on Eighth. The invitation focused on Indigenous-led operators to best support guests and residents, the majority of whom identify asAboriginal.

The PortAlberni Friendship Center was selected and will begin managing Our Home on 8th, located at 3939 8thAve., onApril 1. BC Housing promises there as will be no interruption of services to current shelter guests or supportive housing residents.

“We are committed to creating a safe, culturally connected, and welcoming environment to the residents and guests at Our Home on Eighth,” said Stevens.

BC Housing states that PAFC will have experienced staff onsite around the clock to provide residents and guests with supports, including daily meals, life-skills training, employment assistance and counselling, physical and mental-health resources, as well as access to addiction treatment and recovery services.

In addition to those services, PAFC will incorporate Indigenous culture into their programing. They will offer opportunities for residents, visitors, and guests to experience culture, language, singing, drumming, traditional medicines and teachings from elders and knowledge keepers, according to BC Housing.

The PAFC will also operate the Walyaqil Tiny Shelter Village in PortAlberni, scheduled to open in spring 2023 on 4th Avenue.

“We are looking forward to beginning the important work of supporting those who need it the most by embedding Indigenous culture within the programs and services that will be offered,” said Stevens. “We thank our community and our amazing partners for your support and look forward to working with you all during this transition and into the future.”