Housing advocates in Maple Ridge are applauding new plans for a much-needed homeless shelter but the proposed location is renewing controversy in the city.
For Tami McFadden, she’s no stranger to the pain caused by addiction and homelessness. It’s part of the reason she’s taking care of her three grandchildren by herself and says she’s doing the best she can for them.
McFadden has been sheltering the boys from their parents, who struggle with addiction. But that may become hard to do since the proposed homeless shelter may move right next door to her.
“It’s really scary,” an emotional McFadden told Global News. “I don’t want my children around that. I won’t let my kids be around that.”
But she may have no choice since the City of Maple Ridge has already bought the land — just a block away from where protesters pushed back the province from converting a former Quality Inn hotel into a permanent shelter.
“We think this is a good location because it is sort of away from residential, close to the hospital,” said Maple Ridge Mayor Nicole Reade.
The homelessness shelter debate in Maple Ridge has been a long-standing issue and the anger is over the lack of consultation and transparency by B.C. Housing.
Starting in early March, Maple Ridge residents rallied against the proposed $5.5 purchase and renovation of the Quality Inn for a homeless shelter and weeks later the B.C. government announced the hotel would no longer become a homeless shelter.
Instead, in May, the province worked with the city to extend the opening of the temporary shelter — until a new location could be found.
And while the city has already purchased land for the new shelter, before moving forward on building, the lot will need to be rezoned first. And while public consultation will need to happen, many residents are already saying that no matter where the shelter goes, the model has to change.
“The drug use spills out into the city in the form of theft, just chaotic behaviour,” Grover Telford from Protecting Maple Ridge said.
The conditions currently surrounding the temporary shelter in Maple Ridge, make the new location a tougher sell. There are allegations the site is a ‘chop shop’ for stolen bikes, a hotspot for drug deals and discarded needles.
And a daycare near the proposed site is already getting calls from concerned parents.
“We will lose business, we will lose families, lose our children,” said Lyanne Alexander from the Meadow Ridge Centre for Child Care.
“We will have to close up shop.”
For McFadden, who has rented for almost 20 years, the effort to house the homeless may end up pushing her family out of their home.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen to them. What a life,” McFadden said.
~ with files from John Hua
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