A total of 439 people have been found homes in Maple Ridge within the last year or so, says B.C. Housing, a figure substantially lower than claimed by the citizen’s group Action Maple Ridge.
The time period is from June 2015 to October 2016, coinciding with the period during which the Cliff Avenue tent camp was disbanded.
B.C. Housing says the number is based on reports from the Alouette Home Start Society (Alouette Heights), Salvation Army Ridge Meadows Ministries, Alouette Addictions Services and the temporary homeless shelter operated by RainCity Housing.
However, that number isn’t definitive, notes B.C. Housing. It could include people who’ve been housed several times by one or more agency or could involve double counting.
Maple Ridge Mayor Nicole Read said she hasn’t seen that number and wants to verify it.
“We keep getting different numbers.”
She wants to learn how B.C. Housing came up with that figure.
In January, the group Action Maple Ridge paid for an advertisement, saying that more than 700 people have been found homes in that same time period.
Christine Bickle, with Action Maple Ridge, said the discrepancy isn’t important.
She said the real issue is the city doesn’t seem to know how many homeless people are in Maple Ridge.
“We’ve heard over and over again that we weren’t servicing out-of-town individuals, that all of our homeless were from Maple Ridge. City hall might want to skip that talking point on its next press release.”
The homeless population in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows in 2014 was 84, according to Metro Vancouver’s homeless count.
Bickle said her group wants to find solutions to homelessness.
Coun. Craig Speirs says the 439 number shows that the city has a “growing problem of people being forced out of housing.”
Coun. Tyler Shymkiw also said it’s difficult to get accurate numbers.
“That’s a lot of people,” said Coun. Gordy Robson who wasn’t surprised.
He said when the Cliff Avenue tent camp was operating in 2015, between 50 to 100 people came into Maple Ridge.