City looks for tools to tackle crime, housing issues in Pleasant Hill

People who live in the Pleasant Hill neighbourhood made their case at City Hall Monday, asking for more resources to help the community.

Last week the Pleasant Hill Community Association penned a scathing letter to city council calling for action in the core neighbourhood which has been stricken with a recent crime wave.

The letter called on the city to hold landlords accountable for boarded-up homes and gang houses.

The city says it will ask administration what tools are available to tackle the number of boarded-up homes and look at landlord licensing.

But some people in Pleasant Hill say they are tired of waiting

“The fire department doesn’t have the resources to look after the boarded-up houses, to look after fire pits much less boarded up houses. And if you keep scaling back on resources all the time you're not going to be able to do it,” said Brian Graham, past president of the community association.

The community association says it counted 56 boarded-up homes in the neighbourhood.