Fort St. John addresses homelessness with new committee

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – The City of Fort St. John Council has approved the terms of reference for a committee focused on homelessness in the region and appointed three councillors to it.

According to a report submitted to the council, the committee will receive an annual budget of $5,000, which will be included in the council’s annual budget from 2025 onwards. 

Due to the committee’s establishment well into 2024, no budget will be provided for the rest of the year. 

Once a schedule is established, the committee will begin hosting meetings, and its minutes and reports will be provided to the council for review. 

The Committee on Housing and Emergency Shelter (CRCHES) will consist of three councillors: Trevor Bolin, Sarah MacDougall, and Gord Klassen. 

The councillors will remain committee members for the remainder of the 2022-2026 council term. During future terms, the committee can be renewed ‘based on Council’s discretion’. 

In an interview with Councillor Trevor Bolin, who proposed the formation of the committee to council in July, he told Energeticcity.ca he is looking forward to hitting the ground running in September. 

Bolin stated he intends for the committee to be action-oriented, exploring the reasons behind homelessness and what keeps individuals without housing. 

“Many different things can get you into that position, but what’s keeping you there, is it a housing issue, is it a mental health issue, is it an affordability issue? There’s so many different issues and I honestly don’t think we’ll hear the same things from the same two people,” Bolin said. 

The committee will focus on identifying the issues facing unhoused individuals in Fort St. John and then exploring options and solutions identified in other communities to understand homelessness in the city. 

“It’s gonna be a big undertaking. This is an action committee which tells residents how serious this is,” Bolin said.