Alberta NDP pledges public safety and housing supports in Lethbridge

Phillips said collaboration with the City of Lethbridge and housing authorities will go a long way in addressing housing issues in the community.

She said, “We need the full continuum from shelter to transitional to social housing, supported market housing and full market housing. The province has a role to play at every step along the way. Right now, we have none of these supports and it shows here in Lethbridge.”

Phillips noted a lack in transitional housing.

She said, “Our crisis beds have become transitional housing as people wait for treatment. We have success in 24-hour care, but we have a big gap in transitional housing and, like, permanent supportive housing. We need to find decentralized and innovative ways to deliver those services.”

She said the capacity at the shelter in Lethbridge “needs to be redeveloped and invested in.”

“There have been community-led solutions to this issue and the province needs to come to the table to see if we can get any of those many good ideas over the line.”

Phillips remarked that the party’s goal of addressing homelessness is not solely focused on Lethbridge. She said, “Homelessness is a southern Alberta-wide issue, so let’s solve it regionally.”

Miyashiro added, “No Albertan should be forced to sleep on the street or in an unsafe situation. I see first-hand every day in my riding the impacts of the lack of housing on the people who I represent, and I know that we need to do better.”

He added, “We will take up our responsibility to build affordable housing. We will reverse the cuts to rental assistance and affordable housing that the UCP has made. We will provide more funding for wrap-around services.”

PUBLIC SAFETY

On the topic of public safety, both Phillips and Miyashiro said everyone has a right to feel safe.

Phillips said, “Alberta’s police officers, particularly here in Lethbridge, are the first to tell us that ensuring public safety is a big and complex job.”

She noted, “It requires properly funded police forces with the tools and resources they need. To make a meaningful impact, police officers also must work in an environment that includes adequate emergency shelter space, bridge housing and affordable housing as we talked about, and fully-funded addiction and mental health services.”

Phillips said, “The first thing we will do is restore the $32 million in traffic fine revenues the UCP cut from municipalities in 2019, that did have an effect on the City of Lethbridge’s budget. We will direct that money to be used on integrated community and police response teams in urban communities, and on transit lines, including the hiring of 150 police officers to serve areas like Lethbridge.”

She noted that the NDP “will work with municipalities to not only hire those 150 police officers, but we will pair those officers with 150 social workers, mental health workers, addiction councillors and community outreach workers.”

The 2023 provincial election is scheduled for May 29, 2023.

by Justin Goulet

Alberta NDP pledges public safety and housing supports in Lethbridge

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