The Record granted anonymity to several Junction residents interviewed for this article who feared eviction if identified. The information contained in this article was independently corroborated by other tenants.
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A document obtained by the Comox Valley Record states the John Howard Society of North Island (JHSNI) is set to “stop operating The Junction” supportive housing program in August 2024.
The written statement further reads that BC Housing and the JHSNI are working together in preparation for a new operator to take over the 46-unit facility located at 988 8th St. in Courtenay.
The charity’s board of directors decided not to renew their engagement as The Junction’s contract came up for renewal in March, explained Colleen Ross, the JHSNI’s interim executive director.
She added that the supportive housing project fell outside the society’s original scope.
“The Junction is different from our other programming,” mentioned Ross. “It’s been a lot of learning for us to work with the adult population because we’re more youth-oriented.”
Noting that most of the program’s funding comes from BC Housing, Ross specified that money was not the reason that prompted the non-profit’s decision.
“(BC Housing) funded all staff wages… and fully met all collective agreements,” said Ross. “I can honestly say they fully funded (The Junction).”
However, Courtenay Mayor Bob Wells highlighted a glaring challenge faced by The Junction back in April 2023, before Ross’s tenure.
“I am the liaison for The Junction committee advisory group, and when I met with them, their staff were clear that with the staffing and funding they have, they have enough… to manage the building - just property management,” Wells told the Record. “But in order to be able to do the actual treatment (i.e. counselling) for the people who are living there, they would need another two people there to actually be able to provide that programming for treatment.”
After discussions with BC Housing, Wells is committed to ensuring that the upcoming housing operator receives the necessary resources to fully and effectively operate the facility.
“It’s really about understanding what those clients’ needs are and making sure that they are being met… because that’s the expectation,” said Wells in a recent interview on April 18. “I think that there may have been a bit of disconnect between what (the JHSNI) was able to provide and what the clients’ needs were.
“It was clear that they needed more resources and didn’t have the capacity to provide the level of service that they wanted to.”
In a written statement received by the Record on April 19, BC Housing confirmed its dedication to finding the next service provider and addressing existing shortcomings.
“A request for proposals for a new non-profit housing operator was posted on April 16,” reads the statement. “We will work with the new operator to ensure funding reflects staffing needs to assist with these unique supports, within established limits for supportive housing.”
‘It’s like a minimum security prison’
As the JHSNI’s managing contract comes to an end, the Record reached out to current and former tenants of The Junction to gain insight into the program’s first five years of operation.
Off to a promising start, The Junction was a good place to stay during its maiden year, one resident recalled.
“It was clean and nice. I was just so happy and felt so fortunate to have a roof over my head because I was homeless back then,” they said.
“The original staff were all trained at the same time and were all on the same page. They were very supportive and you could tell that they cared.”
However, shortly after the program opened its doors in 2019, it experienced rapid successive changes in managers and executive directors, exacerbated by high staff turnover.
Despite efforts to curb the homeless crisis in the region, many residents are now decrying their current living conditions.
According to one occupant, The Junction has turned into “… a minimum-security prison.”
While other supportive housing programs in the region allow their residents to host visitors, occupants of The Junction have mentioned living under abnormally harsh guest policy rules. This contradicts the original participant agreement that all tenants signed before joining the program.
“We are not allowed to have guests and that’s been a big issue. It makes us feel alienated from the rest of the world,” one resident said. “A man named Tom… died of an overdose. His dad, who was quite elderly, wasn’t allowed to visit him. It would have been nice for them to spend a bit of time together (before Tom passed away.)
“It’s not just us that suffer (from this), it’s also the families… Even inmates can have visitors.”
RELATED: B.C.’s new supportive housing rules cite safety but reduce tenant freedom
While residents denounce these rules, Ross argued that those were enforced to promote safety.
“That’s the guest management policy,” Ross said. “I certainly do not want to pick on these folks, but we try to manage the amount of drugs going in and for the safety of all residents. I can understand where some might feel that that’s onerous (but) it’s a balancing act.”
The Record’s request to visit The Junction was denied by management.
‘They don’t do anything to support us’
When the management contract was awarded to the JHSNI, the program aimed to provide 24/7 support services tailored to residents’ needs including “outreach workers, wellness checks, life skills training, employment assistance, connection and referral to community services, and support groups.”
Besides receiving two meals daily, several tenants mentioned not having access to these promised services.
“They call it a (supportive housing) program but we don’t know what programs are (available) and they don’t do anything to support us,” one occupant said.
Offering a different perspective, Ross mentioned that The Junction’s role is to connect residents with existing services in the Valley, while the JHSNI is responsible for managing the property.
“The model of The Junction is that community providers come in to help support (tenants),” Ross said. “Our mandate is to provide 24/7 support and have an open door for those community members to come in.
“With 46 residents and two staff per day, I believe we’ve offered all we can.”
However, many residents criticized the staff’s willingness and ability to provide program participants with insights and necessary assistance.
While Ross mentioned ongoing staff training, several tenants emphasized that employees lacked the basic skills for working in a supportive housing setting, such as administering naloxone or using drug testing kits to prevent overdoses.
Some residents claimed that adequate training could have prevented many of the program’s numerous deaths since its inception.
“I’m from East Vancouver and I’ve lived on skid row… I’ve never seen (so many) people die in five years (in a supportive housing facility),” said one tenant. “There’s something wrong.”
“One time, somebody was overdosing and one of the staff members didn’t know where to (inject the naloxone.) I had to tell them what to do,” said another resident.
Junction occupants claim there have been more than two dozen deaths at the facility since its opening. While she could not give an exact number of on-site fatalities, Ross confirmed there have been some.
“This number seems excessive, but we’ve definitely had deaths,” Ross said. “It’s not to demean these folks and generalize, but a lot of them are not in the best of health when they arrive.”
In addition to possessing the necessary skills to perform their work, Junction employees are required to offer wellness and cleanliness checks.
However, several tenants mentioned that Junction staff have failed to conduct these regular inspections.
“One time, I was really sick and I asked for a wellness check. The staff said they would come but they never did,” said one occupant.
“(One of my neighbours is) mentally unstable (and the staff) don’t want to deal with him,” said another tenant. “(Once) the stench coming out of his room was so bad I gagged and flies would be flying out of (his door.) He was literally sleeping on a pile of his own garbage.”
The Record contacted five former and current Junction employees to gain additional perspectives. All declined to speak with the media, with some expressing concerns about potential repercussions on their employment if they were identified.
‘I’m more afraid of the John Howard Society’
While some current and former residents have voiced safety concerns within the housing facility, others dread the JHSNI itself.
RELATED: Junction tenant questions safety at Courtenay’s supportive housing facility
“I have been threatened (and harassed) by other residents (but) the staff did nothing. (They) told me to call the RCMP,” said one tenant. “I’m more afraid of the John Howard Society that runs (The Junction).”
“You get to die with a roof over your head instead of being out in the cold,” added another tenant in response to any positives about the facility. “There isn’t a single success story coming out of (The Junction.)”
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In the second instalment of this series delving into The Junction, the Record will investigate the new eviction rules incorporated by the JHSNI.