Parksville council has appointed Coun. Mary Beil as the new liaison to the Oceanside Task Force on Homelessness.
Beil was previously a liaison to the task force several years ago when she sat on a previous council.
“I hope that my background there will be of some benefit, slipping in to take over from Coun. Martin who did a wonderful job, but needs to step back for other reasons,” Beil said during council’s special budget meeting on April 29.
Council unanimously approved a motion by Mayor Doug O’Brien to appoint Beil the new liaison.
READ MORE: Point-in-time count reveals unhoused numbers for PQB region
The Oceanside Task Force on Homelessness was established in 2010 by the City of Parksville and organizations dedicated to eliminating local homelessness and the surrounding stigmas.
It currently includes Island Crisis Care Society, Society of Organized Services (SOS), Salvation Army, Forward House Community Society, Island Health, Canadian Mental Health Association, RCMP, Risebridge and liaisons from Regional District of Nanaimo, the Town of Qualicum Beach, the city and the local MLA.
In the spring 2023 point-in-time count, 103 people were identified as experiencing homelessness in the Parksville Qualicum Beach region, up from 87 people in 2021.