To the editor,
Re: Important steps needed to combat homelessness, Opinion, Nov. 13.
I very much appreciated Dave Witty’s recent thoughtful op-ed on homelessness. It’s interesting that he cites the ‘four pillars’ approach to substance abuse. Back in the less-polarized ’90s, this was even promoted by the fairly conservative mayor of Vancouver, Phillip Owen.
One thing that is missing from current federal and provincial housing initiatives are housing co-operatives. Having lived for many years in a housing co-op in Vancouver’s False Creek South – which has the highest concentration of co-op units in the city – I can attest that they are a highly effective mechanism for delivering affordability, while also allowing residents to largely self-manage their buildings. Starting in the early ’70s, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation provided the mortgages for co-ops and even, for a time, subsidized low-income households within them.
Don Alexander, Nanaimo
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