This past term I have attended national, provincial, and regional conventions for local governments, and there are certain issues that everyone is talking about: creating affordable housing, reducing homelessness, helping people to improve their mental health, and linking people to resources to tackle substance abuse.
The good news is that we know how to combat these issues, and it appears that we have partners within the provincial and federal governments who are willing to help; municipalities cannot address these issues on their own.
As a council, we lobbied hard for a specialized provincial team to tackle these complex issue. In partnership with Fraser Health & BC Housing, we are now connecting people who are homeless with the stable housing, and health & social services that they need. This program has been successful but is now fully subscribed. I will be continuing to advocate to ensure that this program is expanded as it is one of the only ways to get people off the street for good.
Through Langley City’s new Nexus community vision, we will also be updating our bylaws to give us new tools which will enable us to create more affordable housing options for everyone, whether just starting off, in need of an extra hand, mid-carrier, or retired. I am, and will continue to be, a strong supporter of this new vision.
The opioid crisis continues to impact people in all walks of life. We need to ensure that our first responders have adequate resources to address this crisis, and work with our provincial healthcare partners to establish better education and long-term solutions.
I will continue to advocate for youth in our community to have positive opportunities available to them through our recreation department and in partnership with other community organizations.
These are serious issues that require developing good relationships with people in government and in our non-profit sector. While these issues will not be resolved overnight, I am fully committed to moving forward and ensuring that our community remains healthy, prosperous, and full of opportunity.
With your support, we can continue the positive momentum, bringing solutions forward for a better Langley.
If you are able to volunteer your time to help out on the campaign, if you haven’t already done so, please visit https://help.nathanpachal.com/.
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