Cloverdale supportive housing uproar shows importance of staying on top of development plans

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The tent city on 135A Street in Whalley has been dispersed, as modular housing units have been set up to accommodate people who had been living there. Another step in the plan is to create more supportive housing units across the City of Surrey.

The meteoric rise and fall of a proposal for 60 units of supportive housing in downtown Cloverdale is an instructive lesson on how elections play a huge role in influencing decisions.

However, the most important lesson for residents might be this – pay close attention to development plans, both by the private sector and government agencies, in this case BC Housing.

The movement to place one of several planned Surrey supportive housing sites in Cloverdale was proceeding mostly behind closed doors until BC Housing announced Sept. 4 that the proposal would move forward to public consultation. The proposed site was just off the main street, and would have utilized several city-owned properties.

It is very close to a number of apartment buildings and businesses. Cloverdale has a significant population of seniors, many of whom walk to shops and appointments. Placing a large number of people with significant challenges in the midst of this area, particularly if the housing complex involves a safe injection site, is a recipe for confrontation.

Cloverdale Business Improvement Association came out against it. A Facebook group with concerns about the project quickly formed. Letters to the editor were written and published, and several electronic media outlets also picked up on the story. All this blew the lid off.

When Surrey First mayoral candidate Tom Gill announced Sept. 18 that he had taken a walkabout in the area and felt it wasn’t the right for the project, BC housing threw in its cards. It cancelled a public meeting planned for Sept. 20 and issued a statement saying that the project was being withdrawn.

However, Gill pointed out in an interview that supportive housing will go ahead in Cloverdale, and in other Surrey communities. He added that these projects will likely be built in residential neighbourhoods. He did not address the safe injection site issue.

Surrey council, to its credit, was able to clean up the 135A Street “Whalley Strip” homeless camp by erecting temporary modular housing units. People moved into them in the spring and the tent city came down. However, these people do need more permanent housing. City council, Fraser Health Authority and BC Housing have come to the conclusion (with minimal public input) that these supportive housing projects should be located in various parts of the city.

While it certainly makes sense to have more than one supportive housing building, it also seems logical that such units be located near health centres and transit routes. In the case of Cloverdale, there is no hospital nearby, and transit routes are minimal. The city’s current plan to build two LRT lines notably excludes Cloverdale and South Surrey.

People who have been homeless need to be housed, so they can start to sort their lives out. For the most part, that has now happened in Surrey, but the modular units are a temporary solution.

They also need access to counselling and rehab programs. Many need to learn life skills, such as cooking and shopping, and prepare for employment. These things are best done in a community setting.

Cloverdale already does quite a lot to support people who find themselves without a home. It is home to the Bill Reid shelter, located on the outskirts of the town on a large city-owned farm. Cloverdale has an annual walk to raise funds to combat homelessness, and the community kitchen at Pacific Community Church is well-used.

Most people in Cloverdale and other parts of Surrey want to help homeless people – but they also want to be fully informed of plans by government agencies, and kept in the loop. That didn’t happen this time.