The B.C. government is building a new 50-bed modular shelter at the site of what Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon has described as a “problematic” unhoused encampment in Abbotsford.
The $4-million facility will be temporarily located on an empty plot of Crown land — what was supposed to be the Lonzo Park and Ride — that has become home to a number of people in need of shelter. As it stands, the area is covered in tents, tarped structures, old RVs and garbage.
“What’s been clear to us is that the situation cannot continue as it currently is,” Kahlon said at the Tuesday announcement.
“Encampments offer a sense of community for some people, but they’re not safe or sustainable forms of long-term shelter, and (they) create significant risks for people’s well-being.”
According to the province, in 2020 there were more than 100 people living at the Lonzo Road and Sumas Way encampment. That number has since dwindled to about 15, but continues to fluctuate.
Kahlon said there are “consistent” daily health, safety and fire risks at the site. In May, Abbotsford police described it as the “most violent” encampment in the city, with businesses “victimized daily by thefts” and drug use on their properties.
Knives, axes, bear spray, machetes, real and imitation firearms, and ammunition have all been seized from the camp. Police told Global News the number of violent crime calls near the site has almost quadrupled — to 119 in 2022 from 31 in 2015.
As of May 23, there had been 37 violent crime calls for the area in 2023 and 686 total calls for service.
The shelter that was announced Tuesday will serve as a temporary replacement for the existing 40-bed Riverside Road shelter, resulting in a net of 10 new beds. A new permanent supportive housing building eventually will go up at the Riverside Road shelter’s current location, adjacent to Cole Starnes Place.
The temporary shelter, to be made of modular units, will remain in place for up to 18 months while the Housing Ministry identifies an appropriate location for a permanent structure. Afterward, the modular housing will be held in stock and repurposed for future projects, the ministry said.
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The site of the encampment belongs to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, which will need access to it in about 18 months for highway widening identified in the Fraser Valley Highway 1 Corridor Improvement Program. It’s unclear whether the permanent Riverside Road shelter replacement will be ready by then.
Residents of the Lonzo Road encampment were served with “trespass” notices on Tuesday, warning the camp would need to be cleared out by June 26. Kahlon said all will be offered accommodations or support to rent regular market units, as well as storage options for their belongings.
“The goal here is to break the cycle between sheltering indoors and outside and create a bridge to long-term housing,” he said.
Meanwhile, the province will work with the City of Abbotsford to create a new homelessness encampment action response team program — HEART — to create new regional teams to provide housing, health and social services to those living in encampments, he added.
Paul Shearer, who has lived at the Lonzo Road site for around four months, said he appreciates the province’s plan, but will likely take his trailer to the nearby Bradner rest area rather than accept other housing.
“This is my home and I don’t want to lose it. I’m not going to give it away, I’m comfortable,” he told Global News, adding that he’s grateful for the support he’s received from WorkBC and the Abbotsford Community Hub Centre.
“I got a list of places to look for jobs with a place to move to. If I can move my trailer to a farm where I can work part-time, I can exist that way. I’ve been trying for months to find something on my own and I’m getting nowhere.”
Shearer described some of the housing he’s been offered in the past as “a cell,” like “jail.” He said he feels sorry for the encampment residents who have severe mental health and addiction issues, and may not be able to move independently or understand the notices of trespassing they received Tuesday morning.
Abbotsford Mayor Ross Siemens called Tuesday’s announcement a “much-needed investment,” noting multiple overdoses, fires, medical emergencies, criminal activities and violent incidents have occurred at the encampment.
“Ensuring adequate supports for the most vulnerable people located in this area has been a struggle,” he said at the announcement.
“Everyone who is sheltering in this location is someone’s son, daughter, parent or friend, which is sometimes lost and gets overlooked when we talk about these issues. These issues transcend politics … these are human souls that deserve dignity and respect.”
Local MLA and Agriculture Minister Pam Alexis said the province is aware that more needs to be done, but she’s confident that with collaboration from all levels of government, cities will make meaningful progress in tackling the homelessness crisis.
Kahlon said the new shelter is set to open in the fall, with 24/7 support services including food and health services. The ministry later confirmed it will be ready in 2024.
— with files from Grace Ke
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