Pubdate: Thu, 01 Nov 2001
Source: Richmond Review, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2001 Richmond Public Library
Contact:  http://www.richmondreview.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/704
Author: Chris Bryan

TASK FORCE MEMBER HAS GROUP HOME GRIPES

A group home task force member is distancing himself from the recommendations made in their final meeting last week.

"I didn't vote," John Wong, president of the Oaks Residents Association, said.

Wong said he arrived 15 minutes late for the meeting and the other members had already voted on the draft items.

The city has received the task force's input and councillors will discuss it later this month as they create regulations for group homes with seven to 10 people.

Wong plans to be there and have his opinions known.

"I had a lot of serious concerns, so I'm going to table that when it comes to council," he said.

Ultimately, Wong and many of the residents he speaks for wanted the city to change the zoning procedure so that, if residents spoke loudly enough, they could prevent drug and alcohol recovery homes from being located in their neighbourhood.

"Why the hell did we spend $110,000 and six months on this whole thing?" Wong said. "Nothing gives the residents the authority to say, listen, we reject it."

If the recommendations are approved by council, there will be a lot more input and regulation of group homes, according to city social planner Kari Huhtala. Currently, all group homes are able to locate in any residential area of the city, and all the city asks for is a building and fire permit. No public consultation occurs.

"It just appears in the community," Huhtala said of a new group home.

"(Residents) may know it after the fact."

The task force has recommended a probation procedure, similar to Vancouver. There would be a round of consultation before the facility is established, and a second round after one year.

The city would conduct the consultation, and forward the input to the Richmond Health Services, the body which decides on license renewal.

Task force spokesman Everett Mackenzie said the recommendations take significant steps to address residents' concerns.

If councillors agree, there will not only be public consultation, but there will also be an advisory committee established to oversee the task force recommendations and monitor ongoing issues.

"These are all successes on the part of the community," Mackenzie said.

The public consultations will be superior to public hearings, he said. In public hearings, a resident merely addresses councillors and there is no obligation to respond or vote in the person's favour on the issue.

"Now we have two-way communications," Mackenzie said.

"I think this is a win-win situation here, really."
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MAP posted-by: Beth