NANAIMO — A new hand at the helm of the John Howard Society in Nanaimo will help the organization provide more housing and gain more resources.
John Horn is now the executive director of the Society in Nanaimo. He was a social planner in Nanaimo at the height of the 2018 tent city and then spearheaded a project in Cowichan to install single occupancy cabins to those in need.
The Nanaimo John Howard Society is set to move onto its largest housing project ever with the Community Services Building on Prideaux St. being rebuilt as a 50-bed supportive housing complex.
“I’m very excited to see that we’re moving into that area,” Horn told NanaimoNewsNOW. “It’s such a key piece in terms of maintaining peoples health, wellness and lowering their risk of re-offending.”
The Community Services Building is one of many sites being turned into supportive housing throughout Nanaimo in coming years.
It’s a challenge Horn has faced before, when the City and BC Housing attempted to create a supportive housing facility in the Cranberry neighbourhood. The project didn’t proceed after substantial public outcry, which in turn led to the creation of Nanaimo’s tent city in 2018.
Horn said he’s optimistic about the work the John Howard Society can do to curb the growing issue of homelessness in Nanaimo.
“There’s an increasing recognition that we’re going to have to invest more as a community and society in preventative measures such as stable housing. We’re seeing more of that coming to Nanaimo now. Each day I see we’re getting a little more nuanced and a little more effective at how we’re responding to the social issues.”
Horn said he’s looking at a five-to-10 year timeframe rather than two-to-three years given the lengthy of time needed to establish buildings and housing.
The Nanaimo John Howard Society is also home to numerous other programs, from a volunteer project letting those at the Nanaimo Correctional Centre read books to their children to a vital dental clinic for low-income families and Nanaimo’s first rent bank.
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