B.C. Housing said Thursday that it will not seek rezoning for 55 temporary modular homes in Maple Ridge.
But it will for an 80-bed supportive housing and homeless shelter at 11749 Burnett St.
But the city hasn’t been told that, Maple Ridge Coun. Gordy Robson said Wednesday, a day before B.C. Housing held a second meeting on the proposal for Burnett St.
“We don’t know [if] they’re proceeding. They have not officially told us they’re not coming,” with an application to council, Robson said of the modular housing project.
B.C. Housing announced March 5 that it had bought the land at 22548 Royal Cres. to provide housing for residents of Anita Place Tent City, saying the community will be consulted on the building’s design.
When that will be has not been determiend yet.
The temporary modular housing is expected to be on the Royal Crescent site for up to three years. After that, the property could be used for affordable rental housing. However, another location, yet to be found, is needed for a permanent modular housing project.
Robson said the city wanted to have some input into the type of operator for the modular facility, and referred to council’s request last year to be consulted on what model of shelter will be built before a location is chosen.
“It’s certainly not the way to get cooperation.”
Thursday night, B.C. Housing and Fraser Health is holding a second meeting on the proposal to put up an 80-bed supportive housing and homeless shelter at 11749 Burnett St.The meeting is at Thomas Haney secondary, between 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Earlier Thursday, B.C. Housing said it plans to seek city rezoning for that project, but not for the 55 temporary modular homes.
The agency followed a similar approach in Victoria in 2016.
“In a similar situation in 2016, B.C. Housing purchased a former seniors care home to house individuals from the courthouse tent city in Victoria. That property was not zoned for supportive housing. At the time of exercising its right to move ahead without rezoning, B.C. Housing did commit to secure the appropriate zoning for the property in the longer term, which has subsequently been approved by the City of Victoria,” B.C. Housing said.
The issue of shelters and housing for the homeless is still dividing the community and it’s exhausting, said Chris Bossley a supporter of Anita Place Tent City.
“But having said that, I really feel that more people who actually want some sort of solution … are actually starting to come forward now.”
She added critics of those who support housing street people forget that advocates do not just want to put people into housing.
“We just want to get them housed first – so we can get them assessed in order to get them the appropriate treatment, if any is required.”
Sometimes people just simply need to be housed, she added.
The Burnett Street Neighbours group, though, wants the supportive housing complex to go in another location. That group wants the recommendations followed from the citizens advisory committee, created by former Liberal MLAs Doug Bing and Marc Dalton. Those were that a shelter not be a low-barrier facility and that it not be in the downtown.
For Ahmed Yousef, who’s on the steering committee for the Burnett Street group, B.C. Housing seems to have already decided to build, pointing out Thursday’s meeting is for information, rather than consultation.
“It seems to me, this is what B.C. Housing is doing. When will Maple Ridge reach the saturation point?” he asked.
The issue has led to clashes online after the Anita Place Tent City Maple Ridge group listed nine businesses that are displaying a petition, “Stop the Relocation of the Salvation Army to Burnett Street.”
The list was posted so Facebook group members could decide if they wanted to patronize those businesses, Bossley said.
Members of the group had asked for a list so they could decide whether they wanted to shop at those locations or not.
However, someone posted that list to other Facebook groups.
”It’s not an official boycott,” Bossley said. “It’s just making people aware of the businesses that appear to promote this anti-homelessness stance … this desire for some people not to want to find a solution to this problem, protesting the solution that B.C. Housing has presented.”
The Action Maple Ridge group on Facebook, which opposed previous locations for shelters, said modular housing doesn’t offer enough care and support.
“This is not about low-income housing for seniors and families. Everyone wants that. This is about placing drug-addicted homeless in a low barrier facility in a second, high density residential neighbourhood. This will affect our city for generations and provides no real care for the addicted homeless,” it said on Facebook.