Editor, The News:
From last year’s fiasco on our street, Cliff Avenue, for the sake of just seeing how many homeless people there were, to the drug use and sales outside the shelter, to the sex in the bushes outside a neighbour’s house, to the needles being left in sensitive locations, to the Band-Aid comments and promises from the city that our weekly meetings would continue after the Cliff Avenue tent camp dispersed, to the impact statement from Maple Ridge residents that was discussed at our meetings to identify the issues that this homeless camp has created for the community … yes …what about us?
The dialogue between us (when I say us, I am not only referring to the handful on our street but everyone whodoes not align themselves with the city’s way of thinking) and the city seemed to have dwindled somewhat after our vocal rejection last spring of the Quality Inn deal (as a location for a supportive housing complex).
Now, we get a flyer from RainCity Housing saying our voice matters?
The chump rally on our street last month on the anniversary marked one of the worst mistakes ever made in Maple Ridge. Yes, enough is enough.
Nobody has ever asked any of us if we even want this in our community. I do not.
These people may well be technically homeless, but not to the point of it is either a roof or a meal?
It was never this bad before 2015. We have lived on this street (Cliff Avenue) since 2004 … something changed … pretty sure I know what it was.
Is giving them some land the answer? Only if you move the services to said land. My wife tried to pitch modular/container housing last year. She was told great idea, but nothing ever came of it, perhaps because the city was adamant that they would not get “free” land. Yes, I think we have all had a gutfull of this … time to take a poll.
George Banks
Maple Ridge