Rich Coleman, Minister Responsible for Housing, appeared on Voice of BC with host Vaughn Palmer on Thursday, November 22, and in response to a question about the low take-up for the rental assistance program, boasted that 4,000 families have taken advantage of the program so far and the government is budgeted for up to 15,000 families. That is a far cry from what he said on October 3rd, 2006: "This strategy will immediately assist approximately 15,000 low-income working families and homeless individuals." At the time I argued that 15,000 must be a significant under-estimation of the number of families that qualify for assistance.

It's not only been over 12 months since Coleman made the promise to assist 15,000 families and homeless individuals immediately, but in February 2007, Finance Minister Carole Taylor announced an expansion in eligibility for the program and said: "...5,800 additional families - more than 20,000 in total - will be eligible to receive extra money to help with their housing costs." By the government's figures, 16,000 needy families are not receiving the benefits the Campbell government promised. Why not?

On Voice of BC, Coleman changed his story from promising immediate assistance to 15,000 families, raised to 20,000 in February, to simply claiming that the budget allowed for 15,000 families. This wouldn't be the first time a government announced a program and did an inadequate job to assure that those who are eligible are made aware.

Bus shelter advertisements aren't adequate. If the government is serious about helping those in need of housing it needs to reach out to those who aren't fluent in English, who have mental health issues and who don't follow every nuance in the daily news. Does the Campbell government want to help families in need, or does it want to inflate claims about what it is prepared to do?

Ironically, Coleman appears to be taking the old NDP line - build social housing rather than offer private sector rent supplements. Recent statements from Coleman focus on the tens or hundreds of social housing units to be built, rather than on the thousands of families to benefit from rent supplements. Is this another flip-flop from the Campbell government? Are they abandoning over 16,000 families the February budget promised to help?

There are a lot of people in BC who haven't shared in the good times. In her February 2007 budget speech Finance Minister Carole Taylor said:

"Despite our thriving economy, too many families are still feeling pressed - feeling as though they, personally, are not sharing in the benefits of these good times."

"Too many families are feeling the pressures of high housing costs… and still finding it hard to make ends meet."

Taylor was right, so why hasn't the Campbell government done more to assure that the 20,000 families mentioned in her February speech actually benefit from rental assistance?