Housing complex will be given a new name and upgrades as Nanaimo Aboriginal Centre takes ownership

TAMARA CUNNINGHAM/News Bulletin The community lends its support as Nanaimo Aboriginal Centre prepares to take ownership of King Arthur Court housing complex on Fifth Street. Chris Beaton, executive director of the aboriginal centre, is surrounded by Kim Krieger, left, membership director of the Young Professionals of Nanaimo, Joy Bremner, president of Mid Island Métis Nation, Sarah Foster, director of programs for Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Vancouver Island, John Horn, City of Nanaimo social planner, Lesley Clarke, executive director of Nanaimo Women’s Centre, Heather Campbell, president of the Harewood Neighbourhood Association, and Deryk Mortensen, store manager at Lowes Nanaimo.

A Nanaimo non-profit is taking ownership of the notorious King Arthur Court, with plans to change the dynamic and spruce up living conditions.

Nanaimo Aboriginal Centre will purchase the housing complex this May and upgrade suites with $4.6 million from B.C. Housing.

King Arthur Court, a townhouse complex on Fifth Street, has a history of incidents, from stabbings to assault, noise and disturbances.

Last year, two children pricked their fingers on syringes discarded in a stump on the property.

It’s been labelled a nuisance property twice by the city in six years – the latest just last year – and more than $7,400 has been billed to the owners for calls for service by the RCMP since 2009, according to John Horn, the city’s social planner.

But Nanaimo Aboriginal Centre sees potential.

The location is close to schools, public transit and steps from University Village mall. Chris Beaton, executive director, said it’s in a neighbourhood that’s probably under-serviced and would benefit from more programs and services. The site can also be redeveloped.

More than anything, Beaton said, the goal for the centre in buying the complex is to maintain the stock of affordable housing in the area.

“We’re maintaining 35 units of affordable housing in central south end of Nanaimo. That’s important,” said Beaton, who says the centre saw it as an ideal project to develop and were lucky to get support from B.C. Housing to do it.

Nanaimo Aboriginal Centre proposes renaming the complex Sanala, Kwakwaka’wakw for ‘to be whole’ socially, emotionally, physically and mentally. It will maintain neighbours who are good tenants right now, and address health and safety issues immediately after taking ownership May 5, such as installing new locks on front doors, repairing broken glass in windows and fixing ceilings.

“There’s 50 children living on this site and a lot of families, over 100 tenants in total; those tenants deserve safe, affordable housing just as much as anybody else,” said Beaton, who told the News Bulletin basic repairs and maintenance haven’t been looked after for many years and will be the priority for the next eight to 10 months.

“At the same time, we realize there’s potential there to redevelop that site to put a lot more density on that site in the future, so we’ll be working with the tenants to come up with plans for that expansion for the next two to five years.”

Upgrades will begin in vacant spaces on the property and the centre will work with tenants to shuffle people into improved units. One unit will become the Harewood Neighbourhood House, an amenity space that program and service providers like Nanaimo Women’s Centre and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Vancouver Island can use free of charge.

Beaton said the idea is to make it as easy as possible for children and families to access programs and services.

The centre also wants to change the dynamic on the property so people are proud of where they live and feel safe.

The centre has seen groups, clubs and businesses reach out to ask how they can help get the work done, including Lowes Heroes.

“We look for an organization that wants to help maybe the less fortunate, help them love where they live and the Nanaimo aboriginal society is doing that with this project,” said Deryk Mortensen, store manager.

“There are 50-plus children, lots of families in here that may not have the best living conditions and if we can just be a small part in helping renovate their exterior and their community space that’s kind of the first step to help them love where they live.”

The property will get its nuisance designation lifted with new owners, but Horn, social planner, said the city is eager to see the new owner address some of the nuisance concerns that have been longstanding in the building. Horn said many of the concerns can be addressed with good management.

Nanaimo Aboriginal Centre also currently has affordable housing under construction on Bowen Road.

– with files from Chris Bush

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