River Ridge residents oppose nearby supportive housing units
By Cal Braid - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on March 2, 2023.
Some residents and board members of the River Ridge condominium complex are pushing back against further rezoning and development at the Castle Apartments. The apartments, located at 221-2 Ave S, are one block east of the River Ridge community and run by the Lethbridge Housing Authority (LHA). The LHA offers supportive housing units in the apartment building and is seeking permission from the City to add more.A source contacted the Herald with an invitation to speak with a representative before a Feb. 24 ‘residents only’ meeting at River Ridge. No representative was available to go on record, but a resident gave the Herald a copy of an opposition letter that was being sent to city councilors, MLAs, the police chief, the LHA, and the City’s development manager.
The letter identifies itself as coming from retired professionals who have been residents and property owners in the city since 2008. The residents call Lethbridge an ideal community, with “beautiful parks, recreational facilities, and scenic coulees.”
Since moving to River Ridge, the authors of the letter have noticed increasing levels of dysfunction in the downtown core. They say, “Our experiences have been greatly overshadowed by the growing amount of local vagrancy, public begging and harassment, excessive litter, public drug and alcohol use, as well as the prolific proliferation of abandoned needles and other drug paraphernalia—not to mention the presence of public urination and defecation everywhere in our once beautiful downtown district. It is no longer desirable for our local businesses, residents, or tourists. It is no longer safe for most people to enjoy the many beautiful aspects of downtown Lethbridge. Such a shame!”
“Therefore we feel the approval of this application for the 25 beds of supportive housing by (the) LHA will serve to be completely ineffective and prove to be nothing more than a Band-Aid approach to the real problem with homelessness in Lethbridge at this time.” The real problem that the residents identify as addictions and mental health, is in their opinion, best addressed by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRCC). The TRCC receives federal funding and the letter quotes recent city statistics identifying 74 per cent of the city’s homeless population as people of Indigenous heritage.
There are other solutions, according to the River Ridge residents. “We believe that Indigenous persons should be afforded programs whereby they are mentored by experienced Elders of their own community; Indigenous persons who can truly understand the issues and are able to counsel and guide them in their cultural quest to find their true inner spirits, achieve sobriety, and eventually, live a productive way of life.” The letter’s authors assert they have had experience working in the fields of social services, criminal justice, and addiction services. 2
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