The B.C. government is extending the life of a temporary shelter in Maple Ridge so it can complete the $5.5 million purchase and renovation of a former hotel, in order to address the city’s homelessness issue.
Two-hundred and seventy-thousand dollars is being provided to keep a 40-bed temporary shelter open another three months. B.C. Housing says the extension will allow “vulnerable individuals to continue to have access to a warm, safe place to stay, while permanent housing solutions are being arranged.”
The temporary shelter, which is located at the former Sleep Shop building near the intersection of 222 Street and Lougheed Highway, was opened in October 2015 after the City of Maple Ridge announced it was severing ties with the local Salvation Army shelter.
It was originally meant to bring an end to the tent city that had been growing in a wooded area behind the Salvation Army on Cliff Drive and only be in operation until March 2016.
The extension will keep the shelter open until June 2016 and allow the province the opportunity to complete the purchase and renovation of the Quality Inn in Maple Ridge.
The renovated building, which is located at 21735 Lougheed Highway, will provide 61 long-term supportive housing units for the homeless or those at risk, including the people at the temporary shelter.
While the purchase will be finalized in May, B.C. Housing says it will be holding a public meeting later this month for local residents who have questions about the project.