The fire at Victoria Towers has caused a miniature housing crunch in Prince George.
Displaced residents from the condemned 12-storey apartment building are now living in hotels and with loved ones as they try to find a new home.
For some it was a simple phone call to find new digs, but others are struggling as the entire vacancy rate of Prince George is
being put to the test.
The Red Cross estimated that about 100 people from about 60 households are in need of housing, first, and secondly all the other human needs they are now without: food, cash, clothing, etc.
The Red Cross's provincial Community Planning and Response Manager Elysia Dempsey has come to Prince George to help cover the ongoing emergency response caused by the fire earlier this month. Only one apartment was damaged by flames but about 60 were destroyed, along with much of their contents, by toxic smoke.
"It would help us get a full sense of the incident if we could hear from everyone affected, not just the vulnerable clients who have come forward to us," said Dempsey. "We are asking anyone affected by the fire to call our Resilience Centre [250-564-6566] just to help us with our overall assessments."
They also want to hear from anyone who might have an apartment, house or basement suite for rent. Many of the clients "are vulnerable above and beyond the typical needs of those made homeless" so the personnel at the Resilience Centre (located at the Red Cross building on 6th Avenue and Brunswick Street) are taking an inventory of people's personal needs and another inventory of the housing options, so they can match people to the best home.
The factors involved are affordability, pet considerations, medical and mobility challenges, etc. Dempsey said they had received a tremendous response from social agencies and landlords/property managers stepping forward with possible housing options.
In the meantime, City of Prince George emergency social support spokesman Brad Beckett said that temporary measures to house the Victoria Towers refugees would still be in effect.
"The province has extended emergency social services [ESS] supports, and the city oversees that, working with tenants through the various referrals for hotel accommodation and food," he said. "We had about 90 people register with us for ESS purposes, and more than a quarter of those have secured longer term accommodation. The rest ... did not register with us and are likely staying with friends and relatives."
It is this group Dempsey said should still check in with the centre, just to give organizers a clear view of the disaster's scope.
The Salvation Army is also involved in the emergency response. For the rest of the week they are accepting new or good-condition furniture and appliances at a temporary warehouse set up in the former Bubba Baloos location at the Parkhill Centre. Those wishing to donate clothing and cash can do that in the same shopping centre at the Salvation Army's thrift store.
