The B.C. government and the City of Abbotsford have partnered to build a 40-bed shelter that will be open from mid-December until the end of April, 2016.
The portable shelter, which will be made up of six trailers, will be operated by the Lookout Emergency Aid Society and will be located at 1640 Riverside Rd.
According to the city, the shelter will provide health and housing support services, including three meals a day. Outreach workers will also connect homeless with rental assistance so they can seek more stable housing.
“The city has adopted a Housing-First approach in providing support for homeless people living in Abbotsford and this Temporary Response Shelter is an important step in helping people move toward more permanent housing,” says Mayor of the City of Abbotsford Henry Braun.
Just last month a B.C. Supreme Court judge ruled in favour of Abbotsford homeless and struck down bylaws that prohibited homeless people from sleeping in city parks and erecting temporary shelters.
The lawsuit was filed after city workers spread chicken manure on a homeless camp and police pepper-sprayed residents. They also slashed tents at another camp.
B.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Christopher Hinkson ruled in October that homeless people in Abbotsford are allowed to erect temporary shelters in parkland between 7 p.m. and 9 a.m. because of a lack of accessible shelter space in the city.
The total cost of the new shelter will be approximately $1.2 million dollars, out of which the B.C. government will provide $450,000 and the City of Abbotsford will contribute up to $750,000.
Shayne Williams, executive director of the Lookout Emergency Aid Society says they are looking forward to the shelter opening. “We can’t wait to open the doors at this new temporary shelter and provide homeless individuals a break from their life on the streets.”
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