Need for women’s shelter in Duncan clear
Last year Duncan council refused to allow a women’s extreme weather shelter at Charles Hoey VC School. This made sense because it was not a very good idea to place the shelter in an isolated location by a riverside park.
This year’s plan is very different — the Cairnsmore neighbourhood is a busy, friendly place with a bus stop, store, coffee shop, church, convenience store, and nearby houses and apartments. It is close to Cowichan District Hospital. It is a good location for a shelter; a residence for some of our neighbours who are experiencing difficult times in their lives.
Why do we need another shelter? Warmland House is an excellent, supportive, and safe place for both men and women, but there is a difference between being safe and feeling safe. Some people, and especially some women, need special care because of anxiety or a history of trauma. The need for a women’s shelter is clear and the proposal is being put forward by a well-established and well-managed non-profit society. The shelter and related social services will be an asset to the neighbourhood.
The proposed shelter was supported by city staff and Mayor Phil Kent. Councillors Sharon Jackson and Roger Bruce showed amazing ignorance and a shortage of caring and compassion in voting against the shelter. They should be ashamed of themselves. Jackson hopes to be the next mayor and Bruce is again running for council. If either of them is elected, I fear for the safety of the most unfortunate members of our community and for any of us who fall on hard times in the next four years.
John Scull, past president
Canadian Mental Health Association – Cowichan Valley