A Whalley business owner is calling on Surrey council to purchase a block of land and turn it into one big shelter for the homeless.
Andrew Foell owns a business on King George Blvd. that backs onto the Whalley Strip.
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And he’s fed up with seeing so many homeless people suffering in their tents along 135A Street.
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“I believe there’s money in the city coffers to buy up a block and turn it into some kind of semi-respectable not quite homeless shelter,” Foell said.
He added that creating a dry, private space for the homeless population would go a long way.
But for one man living on the strip, the city would have to build the shelter somewhere on Surrey’s outskirts in order to accommodate everyone.
Another man said the idea would be great — living in tends, he said, is a struggle.
It’s estimated that upwards of 300 homeless people live within a four-block radius around the Whalley Strip.