Reflections for Prospective Members of Council

 Planning, Priorities, and Fiscal Stewardship

Every newly elected Council inherits a city shaped by the vision, planning, and decisions of previous Councils. While each Council has the authority to establish its own priorities, it also assumes responsibility for commitments made years earlier and for decisions whose financial implications extend well into the future.

For prospective Council candidates, understanding Abbotsford's long-term financial planning is therefore as important as developing new ideas. Municipal government is not simply about identifying worthwhile projects. It is about determining which projects should proceed, in what order, at what pace, and how they can be financed responsibly.

From Vision to Implementation

The 2016 Official Community Plan established a vision for Abbotsford's future growth. It recognized that a growing population would require substantial investments in transportation, utilities, emergency services, parks, recreation facilities, civic buildings, and community amenities.

An Official Community Plan, however, is fundamentally a vision document. It identifies where growth should occur and what kind of community residents wish to create. It does not answer equally important questions: What infrastructure will be required? When will it be required? What will it cost? How will it be financed?

The City's Plan for 200K process was intended to help answer those questions by translating the broad vision of the OCP into practical implementation strategies.

One of its strengths was the recognition that infrastructure cannot be planned in isolation. Transportation, water, sewer, drainage, parks, recreation, fire protection, policing, development financing, asset management, and long-term financial planning are interconnected. A new neighbourhood requires far more than houses. It requires infrastructure and services, together with the ongoing resources to operate and maintain them.

The planning process revealed that accommodating future growth would require investments measured not simply in millions, but in billions of dollars over several decades. To understand how those investments could be accommodated, the City developed a 25-year financial plan.

Among the major initiatives identified were a new Police Headquarters, replacement of Fire Hall #6, Fraser Highway and arterial road improvements, water and sewer infrastructure, recreation facilities, park development, and renewal of aging civic infrastructure.

No municipality can undertake every worthwhile project simultaneously. The central challenge is therefore one of prioritization and sequencing.

The most difficult decisions seldom involve choosing between a good project and a bad one. More often, Council must choose among several worthwhile projects competing for the same financial capacity. Saying "yes" to one project frequently means saying "not yet" to another.

Fiscal Discipline as Stewardship

Fiscal discipline is sometimes equated with keeping taxes low or resisting new spending. Neither definition adequately describes responsible municipal financial management. Fiscal discipline is better understood as the careful stewardship of public resources: balancing present needs with future obligations while ensuring that today's decisions do not impose unreasonable burdens on tomorrow's taxpayers.

Every major capital project carries more than its construction cost. Once built, infrastructure must be operated, maintained, and eventually replaced. Those costs become obligations for future budgets and future Councils.

Fiscal discipline also means preserving financial capacity. Healthy reserves, manageable debt, sustainable taxation, and realistic capital plans provide the flexibility to respond to emergencies, changing priorities, and unexpected opportunities.

Nor does fiscal discipline necessarily mean avoiding debt. Borrowing may be appropriate when it finances long-lived infrastructure that will serve residents for decades. The important questions are whether the debt is affordable, whether the asset justifies the obligation, and whether sufficient financial capacity remains for other future needs.

Abbotsford's experience since 2010 demonstrates that significant infrastructure planning and investment can occur while maintaining comparatively moderate growth in property taxes and charges. According to provincial statistics, Abbotsford's average annual increase in property taxes and charges over the past 15 years was 2.78%, compared with 3.82% provincially and 4.17% in the Township of Langley.

Fiscal discipline, therefore, should not be measured solely by the size of an annual tax increase. It should also be measured by whether a municipality continues to improve essential infrastructure and deliver required services while maintaining a tax burden that is reasonable and sustainable.

The Responsibility of Future Councils

Annual budgets do not begin with a blank slate. They are often the implementation of decisions and plans established years earlier. Long-range planning establishes the direction; annual budgets determine the pace.

Projects may be accelerated, delayed, reconsidered, or replaced as economic conditions, construction costs, funding opportunities, and community priorities change. That flexibility is a normal and necessary part of responsible governance.

Every newly elected Council has both the authority and responsibility to revisit priorities. Fresh perspectives are healthy and often necessary. But responsible change requires understanding why existing priorities were established, what commitments have already been made, and what consequences will follow from changing them.

The question is seldom simply whether a proposed project has merit. More often, Council must ask: Is this the appropriate priority? Is this the appropriate time? Can it be financed responsibly? What other projects would be delayed? What ongoing operating costs will result? What are the long-term implications for taxpayers?

These are questions of stewardship rather than ideology.

Effective Councils also think beyond their own four-year mandate. Infrastructure should be planned according to its useful life and the community's long-term needs, not according to the length of an election cycle.

They must also be able to step back from individual requests and consider the needs of the community as a whole. Community organizations, neighbourhoods, businesses, sporting and cultural organizations, and other interests all bring legitimate concerns to Council. Good governance requires listening carefully to those voices while retaining responsibility for determining what best serves the broader community.

Fiscal discipline is not an obstacle to progress. It is what makes sustained progress possible.

Conclusion

Every generation of civic leaders inherits a city it did not build. Roads, utilities, parks, emergency services, recreation facilities, and civic buildings represent decades of planning and investment by earlier Councils and taxpayers. Likewise, today's decisions will shape both the opportunities and obligations inherited by those who follow.

The responsibility of elected officials is therefore not simply to respond to the issues of the day. It is to understand what they have inherited, exercise good judgment in determining what should come next, and leave the community stronger than they found it.

That requires vision, discipline, and above all, stewardship.

 

The Tale of Two Cities

 The Township of Langley has pursued an aggressive approach to addressing its infrastructure deficit, particularly recreational infrastructure. That approach has not been without internal opposition. Langley Council has experienced acrimonious budget debates and has divided 5–4 on significant financial decisions (Langley Advance Times, March 16, 2026).

Comparisons with Abbotsford have followed quickly, raising the obvious question: Why not do the same in Abbotsford?

The answer begins with the fact that Langley and Abbotsford have taken quite different approaches to financing infrastructure. Langley has relied heavily on debt financing, while Abbotsford has relied less on debt and more on reserves, Development Cost Charges (DCCs) and senior-government funding.

In essence, Abbotsford has sacrificed some speed of capital development in return for financial flexibility. Langley has accepted substantially more debt in order to accelerate capital development. The difference is not simply one of ambition or willingness to build; it is also a question of financial risk and flexibility.

Two Very Different Debt Positions

Abbotsford ended 2025 with only $26.927 million of long-term debt, down from $31.436 million a year earlier. It also had approximately $393 million in net financial assets and $391 million in reserves at year-end. Using a population of roughly 172,000, Abbotsford's long-term debt amounts to approximately $156 per resident.

Langley, by comparison, ended 2025 with approximately $600 million in debt, having increased its debt by more than $300 million in a single year. With an estimated 2025 population of 154,122, that amounts to approximately $3,900 per resident—about 25 times Abbotsford's debt per capita.

The difference is striking, but debt alone does not tell the whole story.

Borrowing and Financial Flexibility

Langley's borrowing has not all gone into sports facilities. The Township is also addressing transportation, water, sewer, parks and other infrastructure requirements. The financial question is therefore the cumulative scale of that borrowing.

Abbotsford's infrastructure program is being financed quite differently. It too is undertaking substantial infrastructure work, but much of it continues to be financed through reserves, DCCs and senior-government funding rather than debt.

The 2026 program includes major Highway 1-related storm-drainage improvements, sanitary-sewer upgrades, JAMES wastewater-treatment investments, road projects, water infrastructure and flood-recovery work.

For example, the 2026 plan includes approximately $25 million in urban storm-drainage projects, including $18.6 million for the Peardonville underpass drainage upgrade. Abbotsford also ended 2025 with substantial dedicated capital reserves for waterworks, sanitary sewer, storm drainage and general capital purposes.

Those reserves provide considerable capacity to fund infrastructure without immediately resorting to borrowing.

The critical point is not that Langley should not have built its new facilities. Rather, money borrowed for those facilities uses borrowing capacity and creates debt-servicing obligations that, for a period of years, reduce the financial room available for roads, drainage, sewer, water, fire halls and other infrastructure.

That is particularly significant because Langley is one of B.C.'s fastest-growing municipalities. Its conventional infrastructure requirements are not declining.

The Cost of Carrying Debt

The difference becomes particularly apparent when annual debt servicing is considered.

Abbotsford's annual debt servicing is approximately $6–7 million. Langley's total debt payments and interest are approaching $50 million annually, and the Township itself has identified debt servicing, interest rates and the cost of operating new infrastructure—including the new ice/dry-floor arenas—as financial pressures (Langley Advance Times, February 20, 2026).

During the March budget debate, Councillor Blair Whitmarsh pointed out that total debt-servicing costs are projected to reach roughly $53 million and potentially $74 million by 2030 under current financial projections.

Those annual costs are important because they compete with police, fire, road maintenance, parks and other municipal services for operating dollars.

There is also a second cost that is sometimes overlooked. Building a recreational facility creates not only a capital cost and, when borrowed, a debt-servicing obligation; it also creates permanent operating costs for staffing, maintenance, utilities and programming.

Interestingly, Langley's sports-building program has had a surprisingly modest direct effect on reported property-tax increases between 2023 and 2026. That is partly because borrowing allows major capital costs to be spread over many years rather than immediately recovered through taxation.

Borrowing, however, spreads the financial consequences; it does not eliminate them. Those consequences increasingly appear in annual debt-service payments and in the permanent operating costs of the facilities themselves.

The Growth and Industrial-Land Factor

Notwithstanding these financial pressures, Langley has some important advantages in supporting its infrastructure strategy.

Its rapidly expanding population and its capacity to continue expanding its industrial and non-residential tax base provide a significant growth engine. Approximately 375 acres of developable industrial land have been identified along the Fraser Highway corridor. Abbotsford, by comparison, has only about 35 acres of developable industrial land remaining.

That difference matters. Industrial and commercial properties contribute substantially to the municipal tax base, and continued development can generate additional revenues to help support both new infrastructure and the debt incurred to build it. If population and economic growth continue, Langley therefore has considerably greater opportunity to expand the tax base upon which its infrastructure strategy depends.

Abbotsford faces a different structural challenge.

Its conservative approach to borrowing has left it with a strong balance sheet and substantial financial flexibility. Borrowing policy can also be changed. If future councils decide that infrastructure should be accelerated through greater use of debt, they have considerable capacity to do so.

Abbotsford's shortage of industrial land may prove much more difficult to remedy.

Council can change borrowing policy relatively easily. It cannot readily create hundreds of acres of industrial land when the logical areas for expansion lie within the Agricultural Land Reserve.

That distinction is important. Debt capacity is a financial choice; industrial land availability is, to a considerable degree, a structural constraint. With approximately 375 acres of developable industrial land identified in Langley compared with only about 35 acres remaining in Abbotsford, the two municipalities do not have the same opportunity to grow their future industrial tax bases.

That may prove to be one of the most important long-term fiscal issues facing Abbotsford.

The Question Candidates Need to Answer

The comparison, then, is not simply about which municipality has been more willing to build. Langley and Abbotsford have chosen different ways of balancing infrastructure needs, taxation, debt and financial flexibility.

Langley has accelerated capital development by accepting substantially more debt. Abbotsford has proceeded more gradually while maintaining considerably greater financial capacity.

Neither approach is without consequence.

For Abbotsford, the legitimate debate is whether some of that financial capacity should now be used to accelerate needed infrastructure. That is a question worth asking.

But when candidates promise to deliver the kind of infrastructure the Township of Langley has delivered, the appropriate response is not simply to ask what they intend to build.

Ask how they intend to pay for it—and what financial trade-offs they are prepared to make.

 

Public Office Is Service, Not a Job

A recent editorial I read argued that public office "must be viewed as a job" because of the workload and the importance of the decisions involved. I respectfully disagree.

Public office certainly involves work, and its decisions can be far-reaching. Serving in public office also requires commitment, preparation, and sound judgment. Agenda packages can be lengthy, meetings frequent, and the responsibility significant. But none of those things makes the role a job.

Many members of our community volunteer on boards and committees that demand substantial preparation, careful deliberation, and responsible governance. Some serve as chairs or directors while balancing careers and family commitments. The principles of good governance apply equally in those settings.

The longer I have served on Council, the more I have come to regard the role not as a job or career, but as public service. While councillors are compensated for their time, the motivation should be something more than employment. They are entrusted by their neighbours to exercise sound judgment and act in the community's best interests.

Integrity, professionalism, accountability, and diligence are essential. But those qualities define good public service, not merely a job. Communities are best served when those seeking public office do so because they want to serve—not because they are looking for employment.

Workload does not determine the nature of public office. Purpose does. That distinction is an important filter when discerning whom to support.

Volunteering at The Gleaners, with Abbotsford Youth Commission members.

"No Dig - No Ride"

This Sunday was a “Trail Day” for the mountain-biking community. Riders were invited/encouraged to join in to volunteer a few hours for maintaining the trails. There is a saying in this community – “No Dig – No Ride”! Chris Friesen invited me to join them for a little digging on the Sumas Mountain trails. I don’t ride, but on Sunday I did some digging – and I enjoyed it.

The weather was beautiful; we met at the parking lot, just inside the gate, at 9 am. We were about 15, including two young lads from Chilliwack. A canteen of piping hot, Starbucks coffee sat on the back of the Life Cycles truck for everyone to help themselves. After some preliminary instructions, we broke into small groups, each attacking a different trail, equipped with shovels, rakes, chain saws, weed wackers, and pails. Chris and I headed for “Squid”, a 6-kilometre trail, one of the favourite Sumas Mountain trails.

We filled in dips in the trail that turn to puddles or mud-traps when the weather turns to rain. Pails of rocks carried in and topped with dirt. In other places a narrowing trail was widened. On other trails, fallen trees were cut and brush cleared away from trail’s edge. The morning passed quickly and we headed back to the parking lot. The BBQ was hauled out of a truck and soon smokies were sizzling on the grill, and the crew was enjoying a cold brew.

While we are having our lunch break, cars continue to come and go with riders who enjoy Sumas Mountain. Among them, a young couple from Victoria, for whom Squamish and Whistler are familiar rides, but having heard about Sumas Mountain, they decided to stop in for a three-hour ride enroute to Vernon. That’s not unusual, I’m told by Chris. Riders from Washington State send enquiries, and during the winter, when other mountains are under snow, Sumas Mountain attracts riders from around the Lower Mainland.

Next week, the trail runners will be taking over, as a major event is planned for the mountain – a 16 km and a 25 km run, most of it uphill. Sumas Mountain is an amazing recreational resource right here in our own back yard. For many residents, it is their gym.

Abbotsford's Mountain People

Sumas Mountain is widely-regarded within the mountain-biking community as one of the best. This setting is unique in that the local climate allows for year-round riding and running. When magnet destinations like Whistler and Squamish are under metres of snow, die-hard riders can still find a place to ride.

Not all recreation is equal. If the purpose of recreation is to provide opportunities for as many residents as possible to engage in an active lifestyle that will result in a healthier population, where is it that the City will get the most “bang for its buck”? Recreational assets can be costly; costly to develop, to maintain, and to operate. One of the costliest components of any major asset is the land. The City of Abbotsford is land-poor. That is to say, the city does not possess a large portfolio of land holdings that are available for development. This and the fact that 75% of our municipality lies in the Agricultural Land Reserve means that the challenge of even finding available land will be difficult at best.

If one begins to analyze the cost per user for major recreational facilities, one begins to realize where the “biggest bang for buck” does not lie. Prime examples are ice sheets and ball fields. The sports that use these facilities are age-specific, seasonal, and the numbers involved pale in comparison to some other recreational “user groups”. This is a prime reason why the city chooses to rent ice time at Centre Ice, rather than build another arena. Even pools, which are costly to build and maintain, have a much larger and non-age-specific user group. Additionally, it is not a seasonal facility unless it happens to be an outdoor pool.

I haven’t done the math myself but have borrowed it from someone who has experience working in recreation. His conservative estimates have ice costing $35,000/user for capital alone. Baseball costs about $4,500/user. His research shows that the recreation with the lowest cost per user is disc golf, followed by trails. Based on this very informal analysis, it would appear that a strong case can be made for the funding of trail-related recreation.

Let’s be clear, I’m not about to advocate for diversion of funds from the above-mentioned recreational pursuits. Abbotsford needs more playing fields (baseball, field hockey, soccer, rugby, etc.) and pools, but I am saying that there is a case to be made for funding mountain-based recreation as well. As one mountain-biker told me, “the mountain is my gym”. He chooses not to use our recreational centre for his fitness-related activities; he chooses the mountain. It’s a personal choice that allows him to include his children in year-round outdoor activities, as well as developing in them an appreciation for this beautiful environment we call Sumas Mtn.

Then there are the runners. Formed in 2016, the Abbotsford Trail Running Club has as its mission, “To promote fitness and community through trail running and to advocate for our local nature trails.” Together, these two recreational communities were instrumental in halting the commencement of gravel mining on one of the Fraser Valley’s most pristine mountain environments. I’ve written about this elsewhere (see Article). This user group advocates for mountain trails and the preservation of this beautiful resource in much the same way as the mountain bikers do. Together, they represent a significant group of residents whose dream is to enjoy our mountains, with the support of local government.

At this point, the Recreation budget has no line item for trail riders and runners. Several months ago, Metro Vancouver transferred a large parcel of land on Sumas Mtn to the City of Abbotsford, which will be under the management of the Fraser Valley Regional District. City staff are presently engaged in negotiations with their staff and with the Sumas First Nations to work out a mutually-beneficial plan for its maintenance and development. Following that, we will be in a better position to consider the needs of the mountain-biker and trail-running communities, to consider options for resourcing this recreational pursuit.

It is my understanding that at present, Sumas Mountain sees thousands of riders on an annual basis riding its trails. Furthermore, all construction and maintenance of trails is done by an army of volunteer mountain bikers. The Fraser Valley Mountain Bikers Association has been formed to organize and direct the activities and use of trails in the Fraser Valley. In short, this non-profit association acts as the voice of the mountain-biking community. The trails referred to are used by runners and hikers as well, although those numbers are not clear to this writer.

So, while I believe that mountain recreation could provide more “bang for our buck”, and that these user groups need to be included at our Parks & Recreation table, I am not suggesting that other recreational pursuits are less important, nor that their resources are in any way in jeopardy.

I’ve been to the mountain; I’ve seen the results of their volunteer labour, and I’ve heard their appeal for modest assistance. I don’t think their ask is unreasonable, and I’m excited about the potential of this natural capital asset we have in our backyard called Sumas Mountain.

The Changing Face of The Historic Downtown Abbotsford

When the municipalities of Abbotsford and Matsqui amalgamated in the mid-1990s, the historic downtown area was a place few were attracted to for establishing a business or for shopping. Fast-forward 20 years and the demand for space is high, and the arrival of new business establishments is clearly evident, with names like ‘Montrose & George’, ‘Yes, Chef’, ‘Bureaux’, ‘Polly Fox’, and ‘Field House Brewing’, to name only a small number.

Essendene Ave Shop

The growth over the last four years has been both exciting and encouraging. A quick survey of the owners quickly reveals a young demographic; one that brings with it an atmosphere/culture that sets it apart as unique from other parts of our city. These entrepreneurs are also unique in that they bring a collaborative spirit, rather than a competitive one. If one can share a business practice that has proven successful, he/she is quick to do so with others in this business community.

Josh Vanderheide of Fieldhouse Brewing is one such entrepreneur. His vision for Abbotsford extends beyond the boundaries of the historic downtown, however, that may be the subject of a future article. Josh has been an integral part of mobilizing fellow entrepreneurs into breathing new life into the historic downtown. An exciting part of his vision revolves around the newly-established Valley Food and Farm Collective’s Rail District Community Market, which is open every Thursday late afternoon and evening.

  

Josh Vanderheide

Rail District Community Market

One of the keys for continued growth in this part of Abbotsford will be residential development. Such development is presently under construction on South Montrose and on George Ferguson Way & McCallum and will soon begin at the north end of Montrose, on the former Clayburn Brick Factory property. The completion of these properties will mean that additional hundreds of residents will consider the Historic Downtown as their ‘Go To’ place for shopping and eating.  

The annual ‘Wine & Art Walk’ is harbinger of great and exciting things to come for the Historic Downtown. Within days, the event sells out; this year 450 tickets were sold. On a nice day, this is where people want to come to browse, shop, and socialize. And come they will.

South Fraser Way 

The City of Abbotsford is now in Stage 4 (Final) of adopting a plan for reshaping the Historic Downtown to reflect the input of thousands who responded to the City’s surveys. The residents of Abbotsford put people-friendly streetscapes and the preservation of its historic character at the top of their list of priorities, with respect to any future development. The top three projects the public would like to see the city embark on are: Gateway Plazas (people places), the redesign of Essendene Avenue, and Trails & Paths.

One Gateway Plaza now under construction is the reconstruction of Jubilee Park. Once completed, it will mark a southwest entrance into the downtown, as well as allow for a more efficient use of that green space. Once the Centennial Library is rebuilt, including a park-side bistro, this plaza will become a hub of activity, year-round. Reconfiguring Essendene will provide for more people-friendly sidewalk spaces, will slow down the traffic, and will draw even more people into the Historic Downtown.

The Historic Downtown is described in the City’s literature as “…the soul of Abbotsford. The historic buildings and streets offer a glimpse into the past, reinforcing a sense of shared history, identity, and civic pride.” We want to make it into a place that will be best experienced on foot that includes unique experiences for residents.

One of the best things that could happen would be for the repatriation of this C.P. Rail Station to its original location, along the tracks on Railway Street in Abbotsford.

Homelessness in Abbotsford, Four Years Later

Since the fall of 2014, significant progress has taken place in this city’s efforts to address homelessness. The memories of the years just prior to 2014 would recall several unpleasant and confrontational exchanges between the homeless, their advocates, and the City, culminating in a court challenge that wound its way to the Supreme Court, concluding during this term.

As the result of recommendations from the Task Force on Homelessness, 2014, an Action Plan with Five Strategic Directions resulted. The first and most important step was the hiring of a full-time Coordinator of Homelessness (Housing added later to her portfolio), and together with a newly-created Homelessness Action Advisory Committee, launched an ambitious program to address homelessness. A critical factor in determining the effectiveness of this committee was the invitation to key players to sit at this table – Fraser Health, BC Housing, Salvation Army, MCC, Abbotsford Community Services, and several local service providers. I was honoured to chair this committee for the first two years, and I’m sure I speak for Councillor Siemens in saying he too considered it an honour to chair it in the last two years.

The federal government granted the city $400K to apply towards research and development of a Homelessness Prevention and Response System for addressing homelessness, which will be a pilot for eventual application across Canada. This system “…is not solely owned, managed or funded by one level of Government, one agency, or sector. The System is a community resource system comprised of the collaborative efforts, projects, initiatives and programs with aligned purpose to respond to and prevent homelessness.”

Collaborative Stakeholder mapping for the Homelessness Prevention and Response System

Since the fall of 2014, the collaborative impact has provided for the following changes through policy advocacy, collaboration, alignment of activities across sectors, shared funding, and coordination:

System Component	2014	2018
Extreme Weather Mat	-20	-175 -We succeeded in having the definition of extreme weather changed to include cold wet weather
Outreach Services	-Salvation Army – Homelessness Prevention Program (HOP)	-Salvation Army -HOP -ACS – Homelessness Prevention Program (HPP) -Look Out Society – HPP -Ministry of Social Development – Integration Workers Inter-Agency Care Team supporting Integrated Outreach activities
Integrated Health and Housing Outreach and Wrap-Around Support		-Assertive Community Treatment -Inter-Agency Care Team (Fraser Health Authority, City of Abbotsford (Service Canada funded)
Enhanced Health Linkages	-Abbotsford Hospital -Primary Health Services -Abbotsford Mental Health and Substance Use -Home Health Care	-Abbotsford Hospital -Primary Health Services -Abbotsford Community Hub Centre (feasibility study nearing completion) -Integrated health services and linkages across divisions -Opioid response activities (Community Action Team, Project Angel Initiative, Peer Network and Engagement activities
Housing	-70 units of supportive housing	-100 units of supportive housing -80+ units now in City review process -60 units in process (First Nations project) -Housing with Abbotsford Rental Connect (securing rental units in the private market) Additional rent subsidies from BC Housing
System Sustainability		Collaborative Stakeholder mapping for the Homelessness Prevention and Response System; -Harm Reduction Strategy -Affordable Housing Strategy update -Exploring Abbotsford Housing Foundation -Affordable Housing Strategy Update -Shared Outcome and Measurement and Data Management
Community Capacity Building		-Community of Integrated Practice -Curriculum development -Virtual Platform Development

40-Bed Emergency Shelter on Riverside Road.

Announcing 80 Modular Housing units for Abbotsford, 2018

Councillor Loewen, Shane Williams (Ex. Director, Lookout Society), & Minister Selina Robinson, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.  

The following is taken from a recent report tabled by the City’s Coordinator of Housing and Homelessness.

The Abbotsford Homelessness Prevention and Response System pilot is continuing.

1)      Housing with Abbotsford Rental Connect has fully launched and has completed 20 pre-screens for housing applicants, 3 intakes and the age of participants ranges from the majority being below 50 years of age to the oldest participant being 80 years old.

2)      The Inter-Agency Care Team/Intake Function are currently providing intensive support for 37 participants,

3)      The Intake Function for the Coordinated Intake and Referral for housing, health, income assistance, and community support has received close to 256 referrals into the system since September 1, 2017, and are working closely with the inter-agency outreach collaborative, Ministry of Social Development, health service networks, and local agencies to support individuals who may be experiencing homelessness to strive towards accessing services, wellness, and housing readiness;

4)      Twelve of the 37 individuals receiving intensive support from the Team are currently housed and others are working towards housing readiness and individual wellness goals.

5)      Abbotsford Housing Endowment Fund/Foundation exploration is continuing.

6)      The Civic Mobile Application is being reviewed for potential to be utilized as a virtual platform for public and stakeholder communications and the City’s web-page is being updated to include a resource repository.

Hearthstone Place, Gladys Ave.
31-Unit, Long-term Housing

An “Abbotsford Stories Project” is underway, which will produce video-based, personal stories and resources for workers in this field. In addition, the City is collaborating with University of Fraser Valley to develop on-line, web-based curriculum for the Community of Practice resources. Annual community forums are held for a wide variety of stakeholders and people working in the field, for professional development in this field of work. The most recent one was attended by over 140 participants, and the major focus was on peer voice and engagement.

The task of addressing homelessness is complex with multiple facets. The increasing number of those who find themselves homeless in our community can be discouraging, and it is certainly cause for concern. The city is in a much better position today than it was four years ago. The city and its partner organizations have accomplished more than all previous councils combined and have laid a solid foundation for continued work at addressing homelessness, notwithstanding the growth in homeless numbers. Today, Abbotsford is regarded as a leader within the municipal community across BC. I believe that momentum is now in our favour in the goal of providing a home for everyone.