MAPLE RIDGE - Given the urgent need for more supportive housing in Maple Ridge, the Province will move forward with 51 new temporary supportive homes at 11749 Burnett St. for people living at the Anita Place camp and experiencing homelessness in the community.

"Our goal is to quickly get people into housing where they can get the help and support they've long been needing, while working to close the camp in a managed way," said Selina Robinson, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. "When we build housing for people who are homeless, the positive impacts don't end with the people being housed. The benefits extend into the community to the neighbours, businesses, first responders and everyone impacted by the camp."

Coast Mental Health will be the building operator, providing 24-hour supports for residents who will have self-contained suites with washrooms and kitchenettes. Fraser Health will also provide clinical support services for the residents on an as-needed basis. Other supports include counselling, life skills and employment programming, as well as daily meals.

"We look forward to collaborating with the Province and the City of Maple Ridge to ensure the design and operations of the Burnett site meet the needs of the community," says Darrell Burnham, CEO, Coast Mental Health. "As the operator of two supportive housing sites in Maple Ridge, we recognize the importance in building homes with support services that encourage healthy and inclusive communities."

The 51 units and a medical room will provide sufficient space for the 47 people experiencing homelessness who, until recently, were residing at the camp. This number has been confirmed by BC Housing and community partners, and BC Housing staff will work with city staff to ensure the names on the city's list are all included in the full list.

BC Housing has estimated that it will take approximately five months to complete the new building once construction begins in April.

Robinson has written to the Maple Ridge mayor and council to ask city staff to sit down with BC Housing staff to determine how best to support these people in the community until the housing can be completed. BC Housing will continue to keep the shelter at 22239 Lougheed Highway open until the end of the lease on March 31, 2019, to allow time for these conversations.

"We need to put in place a plan to support these people until the homes can be completed," said Robinson. "Without a plan, we risk leaving desperate people no choice but to create another tent city or to scatter throughout the community, neither of which is in the best interests of either the campers or the community of Maple Ridge as a whole."

The housing at the provincially owned Burnett Street site will be manufactured by Horizon North and will be based on the modular designs used in Vancouver. This will allow it to be installed at the Burnett site temporarily and then moved to a different location.

In line with the proposal in the city's social housing plan, Robinson has informed the mayor that BC Housing staff will begin work with the city on the design of the new affordable seniors' housing to be built at the Burnett site, so that construction can proceed as soon as a permanent home for the supportive housing units has been found.

Quick Facts:

• BC Housing staff and community partners have identified 47 people experiencing homelessness who were, until recently, living at Anita Place camp.
• BC Housing, along with Fraser Health and the building operator, will host small group dialogue sessions for neighbours, stakeholders and surrounding businesses, as well as an online question-and-answer session for the broader Maple Ridge community. Details and timing for these events will be shared as dates are established.
• Horizon North, a company based in Kamloops, has been selected to manufacture the homes in Maple Ridge. It has successfully delivered a number of modular projects in B.C., supporting local jobs and economies.
• To guide further action on homelessness in B.C., the Province has launched the Office of Homelessness Coordination to move beyond reactive emergency responses to homelessness and toward a co-ordinated, effective approach that prevents people from becoming homeless in the first place.

Learn More:

To learn more about the Burnett Street project, visit: Letstalkhousingbc.ca/mapleridge

Two backgrounders follow.

Contacts:

Media Relations
Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing
778 698-9176

Rajvir Rao
BC Housing
604 456-8917

BACKGROUNDER 1

Investments in supportive housing by community

The Province is making significant investments in providing supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness in communities throughout B.C., including through the Supportive Housing Fund and the Rapid Response to Homelessness program.

The Supportive Housing Fund invests $1.2 billion over 10 years to build 2,500 homes with 24/7 supports to help people who are at risk of or experiencing homelessness, and those in temporary housing. To date, 390 of these units have been allocated.

The Rapid Response to Homelessness program is an investment of $291 million for 2,000 modular housing units for people experiencing homelessness and more than $170 million over three years to provide 24/7 staffing and support services for these units. These units are fully allocated.

The following list represents the number of supportive housing projects and units in communities that are built or underway through investments by the current government:

Abbotsford: 2 projects / 83 homes

Burnaby: 1 project / 52 homes

Chilliwack: 2 projects / 92 homes

Courtenay: 1 project / 46 homes Grand Forks: 1 project / 34 homes Hope: 1 project / 20 homes

Kamloops: 3 projects / 163 homes

Kelowna: 3 projects / 148 homes

Langley: 1 project / 49 homes Maple Ridge: 1 project / 53 homes Nanaimo: 2 projects / 164 homes

New Westminster: 1 project / 44 homes Parksville: 1 project / 55 homes

Penticton: 1 project / 62 homes

Port Alberni: 1 project / 35 homes Powell River: 1 project / 40 homes Prince Rupert: 1 project / 36 homes Queen Charlotte: 1 project / 19 homes Richmond: 1 project / 40 homes

Sechelt: 1 project / 40 homes

Smithers: 1 project / 24 homes

Surrey: number of projects to be confirmed / 360 homes Terrace: 1 project / 52 homes

Vancouver: 12 projects / 726 homes

Vernon: 2 projects / 98 homes

Victoria: 1 project / 21 homes

As part of the $90-million Regional Housing First Program, the Province, Capital Regional District and the federal government are also creating an additional 2,000 new affordable rental housing homes for people in the Victoria region, with 400 of these homes designed to provide supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness.

Contacts:

Media Relations
Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing
778 698-9176

Rajvir Rao
BC Housing
604 456-8917