Maple Ridge council will host a special meeting tonight to discuss plans for long-term supportive housing at the Quality Inn.
The meeting starts at 6 p.m. in council chambers. The agenda has just one item: update the supportive housing discussion from Monday's council workshop.
The meeting, open to the public, will be live streamed and recorded. There will be a 15-minute community forum at the end of the meeting.
The B.C. government is providing $270,000 to allow the 40-bed temporary shelter in Maple Ridge to remain open until the end of June.
The province has also made an offer to purchase the Quality Inn, on Lougheed Highway, for approximately $5.5 million. The building is to provide 61 units of long-term supportive housing for those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, including people currently at the temporary shelter.
The purchase will be finalized in early May and it is to open in June, following renovations, the province announced Thursday.
B.C. Housing will hold a public meeting later this month, prior to the close of the sale, for local residents who have questions about the project.
Meanwhile, several petitions have been started in opposition to the Quality Inn being purchased for supportive housing.
• More to follow.