Mayor, opposition react to report on Maple Ridge’s supportive housing

Commenting on an independent review of three supportive housing facilities in Maple Ridge, Mayor Dan Ruimy said the city should look forward rather than back.

“There’s no denying some unpleasant things happened over there,” he said of the Royal Crescent site. “I recognize it was only ever supposed to be a two- to three-year project.”

But he believes the operators, including BC Housing and Coast Mental Health, will be improving their service going forward.

“Everything we do has to be forward-thinking,” he said.

READ ALSO: Independent review of supportive housing facilities in Maple Ridge released

The BC Housing Ministry recently released the review, and recommendations to improve services and safety of the residents. Premier David Eby, then housing minister, ordered the review in March of 2022. Community members expressed concerns about conditions, and a high number of deaths at the facilities.

The mayor toured all three of the facilities, and sees them as well run. He puts confidence in new Coast Mental Health CEO Kier MacDonald, having seen Coast take on the city’s cold weather shelter.

Ruimy noted there have been increased security measures, wellness checks taking place every day rather than every two days, and other recommendations from the report implemented by Coast.

“I have assurances they’re going to do things better and learn from the past.”

As for the city, it has increased staffing of RCMP and community safety officers (CSOs), who are dealing with criminal behaviour and problems. He said they are personally familiar with the people involved in a street lifestyle.

“Our CSOs pretty much know the people out there, and when there are opportunities, they direct them to resources.”

He would like to see more resources from the province. For example, he addressed the eight complex care spaces, for those with the most mental health and substance use challenges, opened in Maple Ridge when speaking with Eby.

“It’s not enough, and I said that to the premier,” said Ruimy.

That said, Ruimy doesn’t want the city involved in “partisan games” with the NDP government.

“I do not want Maple Ridge to be caught in a political battle,” said Ruimy. “We’re working hard to change our image, and we’re working hard on our downtown core.”

Ruimy said council will review the report when it gets back to work in September, after an August break.

Karin Kirkpatrick is the BC United Party’s critic for BC Housing, said the province is being vague about its response, where it should step up and make commitments for more staff, and more training for staff in these facilities.

Kirkpatrick, a former CEO of Family Services of Greater Vancouver, does not blame Coast or other service providers for problems in supportive housing.

“I think they’re a good operator. I think the majority are good operators,” she said. “They’re tying things together with shoestrings, because they’s so underfunded by BC Housing.”

She said the government offers a poor picture of what supportive housing should be. For example, saying residents have “24-hour support” is misleading when that may refer to a person at the entrance, who can ‘buzz people in and out.’”

She has facilities where she calls the conditions for residents “disgusting.”

“Some of these places are inhumane – I don’t think it’s too strong of a word,” she said. “Mentally, it says ‘You aren’t worthy of anything better than this place.’”

“People deserve better.”

And, she said the report underlines the need for a continuum of service, where people can detox, receive addiction treatment, and reclaim their lives.

“You’re treating people in supportive housing like ‘This is your life.’ We don’t have recovery centres to send them to,” said Kirkpatrick. “This government has not invested enough in detox and recovery.”

Kirkpatrick said the government has blamed Royal Crescent being an older, temporary facility, but that is not necessarily the issue. She said there is no guarantee of better outcomes at the new building being built on 224th Street.

“A new building might look like an old building a few years from now, if we don’t give people the proper supports for them to be successful.”

READ ALSO: Environment in modular, supportive housing brings instability and uncertainty, says researcher