The owner of a low-barrier housing complex says the city has put him in a Catch-22 situation.
Randy Brown owns the Wintergreen Apartments – more commonly known as ‘the ghetto’ – and an adjoining lot filled with rented out trailers and campers.
Last week the city announced they would be forcing Brown to remove the RV units, as they launch a project to install little homes on a neighbouring lot to house the people who would be displaced.
The city also announced their intention to pursue collection of $120,000 in bylaw fines that Brown intends to fight.
“It doesn’t make sense to me,” he said. “On one hand they’re saying that the trailers can’t be removed until the people in there have alternate housing, then on the other hand they’re fining me $120,000 for housing them, so I’m really wondering what’s going on here.”
Brown says he supports the city’s vision of using little homes to house people in need of low-barrier shelters and says he submitted an almost identical plan to city staff a year ago.
I personally think Randy brown is doing a great job by keeping these people off the streets, considering it should be the mayor or the town’s people not just brown. I highly think it’s complete nonsense to have him charge a huge fine for making these streets safer not only that he’s as well as contained all in one little area… people can not tell me that this town can not afford housing for these people in need. I say it is complete B.S. with all that being said kudos to Randy Brown for being a good person and stepping up and helping these people he should be getting an reward and not harassed or looked down upon at least somebody’s doing something instead of complaining.