Terrace’s role as a regional
centre has resulted in the con-
centration of many government
services here and that’s a plus
for local seniors, says the ex«
ecutive director of the Seniors
Information Access centre,

However, Cherie Kamenz
adds, there is definite room for
‘improvement when it comes to
‘housing.

+ The problem, she explained,
as ic
ds “there's not that much
available at this point in terms
of a variety of housing for
seniors. ”

» Although the recently
“developed Twin River Estates
thas proved. valuable and
“popular, she said that kind of
‘accommodation | is targets only

“sone segment of the seniors
population.

» Located on Lakelse Ave.
sacross from the Royal Canadian
Legion, the condominium-style
units are the product of the
“Skeena Senior Citizens Housing

“Society.

= Because seniors have to pur-

schase the condos from the socie-

ly, and therefore have ‘‘to have

*the money up front’’, Kamenz

"said the project is designed for

“those who are already

«homeowners but want to move

‘into something smaller and

«more convenient,

* However, the gap is in the
area of more affordable rental
accommodation units such as
the Willows apartments or Tuck
Ave. Seniors complex.

She pointed out all 39 of the
Willows' apartments are oc-
cupied at present ‘‘and there are
25 people on the waiting list’.
Tuck Ave. is half that size and it
too has a waiting list.

Efforts to correct the situa-
tion begin this week with a
meeting when members of the
local seniors advisory commis-
sion will meet with Skeena
MLA Helmut Giesbrecht and
city aldermen Ruth Hallock and
Danny Sheridan ~- the latter
sits on the B.C. Housing
Management Commission
board,

That meeting is intended to
be the first step towards the
construction (of more.non-profit,
seniors. housing. ‘developments...
However, Kamenz noted, a lot
of work would have to be dane
before any ground-breaking
took place.

A non-profit society would
have to be formed, a survey car-
ried out to confirm there was a
need within the community and
application made for the
necessary money.

The B.C. Housing Mortgage
Commission has a rental supply
program which it offers in areas
where the rental vacancy rate is
two per cent or less. (Latest
Statistics from the Canadian
Housing and Mortgage Cor-
poration (CHMC) show Terrace

The gap is in the area of
more affordable rental
accommodation units.

sitting at 1.7 per cent).

Under that program, the
Commission will subsidize mor-
tgages providing the developer
— in this case the non-profit
society — can come up with {5
per cent of the project cost and
arrange the remainder of: the
financing through the CHMC,

Preference is given to projects
aimed at seniors and where the
accommodation would remain
in the rental market over the
long-term.

However, Kamenz said one
problem the society would Face
was trying to meet the require-
ment it have four people signed
up for every unit it intended to
build.

“That's been their experience
on how many will really be able
to move in when the project's
finished,’’ she explained.
Although individuals signing up

Cherie Kamenz

at the outset were serious in
their intentions, changing cir-
cumstances meant many drop-
ped out over the many months it
took to bring the development
to fruition,

She also pointed out a
suitable site would have to be
found for the development.

“Ideally, it should be within:

three blocks of the downtown
core,’’ Kamenz said.

**You have-to look to the
future, to make sure they’re
close enough that when they can
no longer drive, they can walk
to where they want or need to
go." ;

Although there was a shor-
tage of vacant land in the im-
mediate downtown area, she
pointed out the city owned a
four acre parcel off Olsen Ave.
and behind the Ministry of

Council declined to

make a commitment un-

til it had seen how ef

forts to establish a socie-
ty progressed,

Housing and Social Services
building.

Describing that land as ‘‘a
teally good site’, Kamenz con-
ceded the city. had bought it,
with the then;proposed conven-,
tion centre in mind. However,
she suggested the site was large
enough to accommodate both
an apartment block and any
other facility the city might
eventually want to construct,

Recalling the matter had been
raised with council, Kamenz
said council had declined to
make a commitment untilit had
seen how efforts to establish a
society had progressed,

Even so, ‘‘] really think
they’re open to that idea,”’ she
said,

A partial solution could also
be found if the home sharing
concept was adopted - here.
Kamenz said that involved two

or more seniors getting together -

to share a single dwelling,. each
having their own bedroom and
sharing the rest of the house.

For the home owner, the rent
would provide extra income and
thereby reduce the cost of re-
maining in their home.

And it didn’t necessarily have
to be an arrangement involving
seniors only, ‘‘In the case of a
senior and a student living
together, the senior could
benefit by having someone to
help with their home care or
yard work in exchange for a lit-
tle lower rent,”’ she pointed out.

However, a matching agency
— Home Share Society —
would have to be established if
that concept was to fully suc-

- ceed. Throught interviews with

those interested in sharing, that
body would attempt to
eliminate the possibility of
mismatches,
. “If they know what each ex-
pects from such an arfange-
ment, it’s more likely it will
work out,’? Kamenz pointed
out.

Terrace Standard, Wednesday, January 1, 1992 — Page A5

| Bridging seniors’ housing gap

HIVE OF ACTIVITY and home of the local branch of the B.C. Old Age Pensioners organization is the
Happy Gang Centre. But local seniors don’t just ga there to enjoy each others’ company or the many
activities that take place there. They can also be seen working on projects which raise money needed
by the centre. Above, Joan Holmes is one of a group working’ on just suich a project, a handsome quilt?
The last quilt members made was eventually sold by silent auction, raising $450.

Commission succeeding in

lobbying for pensioners

Alter less than 18 months existence, the Seniors
Advisory Commission is proving to be a valuable
tool in efforts to improve the lot of local pen-
stoners.

One of cight members of that body, Aileen
Frank said the idea of the commission came out of
workshops held in early 1990 as part of the Strong
Communities program.

Frank said the commission members are all
volunteers and represent a good cross-section of
the seniors population here.

‘Our purpose is to adyise council on things that
are effective for seniors,”’ she explained, adding
‘IT think we've done very well as far as producing
ideas.”’ Those ideas and any specific recommenda-
tions are Included in the minutes of commission
meetings and passed on to council.

Describing council as receptive to the commis-
sion’s suggestions, she noted that was particularly
true “in anything that hasn’t cost very much
money.”

Among the issues ralsed by the commission are
the need for more senlors housing, belter marked
and lit crosswalks, extended parking time limits on

downtown streets for seniors, the provision of
handicapped-only parking spots on those same
streets and enforcement of (he regulations on such
spots in privately owned parking lots.

{The city is about to introduce by-law and
regulation changes to implement those last three)

However, Frank pointed out its work extends
beyond lobbying government. Last January, for
example, it organized a Seniors Safety Week dur-
ing which displays were set up and pamphlets
distributed focusing on safety at home, particular-
ly fire hazards, and on streets.

Given it was the first time for the event and
there wasn’t much money to play with, she
described It a5 falrly successful, This year, the
event will be held in June to tle in with the provin-
cial Seniors Safety Week.

One surprise for commission members was the
discovery thelr group was almost unique in the
province. “We'd thought thet something like this
was getting to be quite common in other com-
munities across B.C., Frank explained, ‘‘but now
we'hear we're practically the only one that’s gone
ahead with it.”

| ETTERS

TO THE TERRACE STANDARD

Smoke
abuse
noted

Dear Sir:

There is a form of child
abuse which I feel must
receive attention now,

Foday while at a local:
eatery my wife and [ observ-
ed a couple seated with two
small children at their sides
and both adults were smok-
ing, one of the children was
about. two years old and the
other no more than six mon-
ths.

Some time back when
entering the home of an-ac-
quaintance [ noted there were
three adults, all smoking.
cigarettes and the smoke was
quite thick. Through the
haze you could see on the
sofa a small child of approx-
imately three or four months
old.

Small children with lungs.
not much bigger than. silver
dollars trying to screen out
poor air in thick smoke I
believe is child abuse of the
worst kind,

Something should be done
about it now.

Sincerely,
Andy Nabess
Terrace, B.C,

Council
rebuked

Dear Sir:

I am greatly disappointed
that our city council has once
again closed its small mind to
another advantageous
development in our great ci-
ty. .
City council has now
refused three major
developments in Terrace —
the apartment complex on
Davis Ave., the apartments
on Kenney and now the sub-
‘| division above: ;Lanfeag ; Hak

_ | -— all of which are: beneficial |,
and ‘greatly needed in this cle

ty.

It seems like what is need-
ed most in this city is always
refused ‘with the excuse of
lack of money to facilitate.
Yet the council can brag as
they did last month of how
much money they came out
ahead for the last fiscal year.

How about spending some
of this money on some
necessities such as housing,

cont'd A6

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Aa]

The Start is
learning how. to read.

for. people

Saris cece eee 2

Gas man

The man in the photo
is Jim MacKenzie.
He pumped gas last

Saturday at the
_ Petrocan station.
Jim is ‘a Kinsmen.

Some of the gas sales
went to the Kinsmen
Mothers March.
The Mothers March
officially starts today.
People will go door to

door.

ne

Goin

There is more money
for people on social
assistance.

The provincial
government gave out
this news last week.

A single person whois
employable will get.
$525, The old rate was
$500.

€& up

A single person with a
handicap will get $739.
The old rate was $694.

Two parents and five
children will get $1,587.
The old rate was $1,407,

The. government said
it wanted
families and children the

_ most,

to help