Maple Ridge's displaced homeless population is spreading throughout the community, with nowhere else to go after the closure of one of the city's shelters.
The RainCity homeless shelter on Lougheed Highway was built to be temporary, and closed Wednesday after about two years in operation. While it was open, it faced backlash from some members of the public.
The 40-bed building near 222 Street was one of only two shelters in the city, and closed its doors for good after running out of funding.
No longer able to stay indoors, those who used to rely on RainCity are now sleeping in wooded areas and near local businesses, and those who work in the area are having a hard time keeping up with the fallout.
"We've seen needles and condoms and human stuff left behind," said Chelsea Hobbis of Caps Westwood Cycle.
Hobbis said cardboard shelters have cropped up in the business's back lot over the last week as those without homes look for a place to live.
"So many people are displaced and they need a place to go," she said.
"I'm almost nervous that other local businesses are too afraid to say something because it is a very sensitive subject, and it should be, but it also needs to be taken way more seriously than it is."
Hobbis said it isn't a new problem in the city, but that it's gained momentum in recent months.
"If we don't slow that momentum soon, it's going to get out of control even more so than it is right now," she said.
Some members of the city's homeless population moved in to a temporary tent city set up last month on 223rd Street south of the Lougheed Highway, but the city is actively working to shut down the camp. Staff members have served the camp with a notice that the city is seeking a court-ordered injunction that would put an end to the makeshift community. The notice, filed the day before the shelter closed, says the camp is in violation of local bylaws and has been the subject of numerous complaints
A hearing is scheduled at BC Supreme Court Monday June 5. The Pivot Legal Society will be there in support of the campers but won't be representing them at that time. They tell CTV News they may do so later, depending on the outcome.
CTV reached out to the city for comment, but officials denied the request, saying it was a provincial issue to find adequate housing for those in need.
A statement issued to media on Wednesday said the property between North and St. Anne avenues began when a group broke through security fencing on May 2. The fence had been installed to prevent overnight camping and unlawful dumping, the city said.
Staff said the legal action was being taken because of the city's health and safety concerns for the property and those who live nearby. It mentioned that staff are aware of "several rudimentary latrines" dug in the ground, as well as used needles and garbage collecting in the area.
The statement from the city read in part: "The City cares for the well-being of the homeless in the community and has been working with the Provincial Government and community partners to address the need for additional affordable housing in the City."
It also said that the city had made some park areas available for the "temporary overnight refuge of those seeking shelter."
Outspoken opponents who successfully lobbied to shut down the Raincity shelter say they don't want drug addicts or homeless people draining public resources or setting up camp near where they live or work, leaving trash and used needles behind. They've also begun a complaint campaign to pressure the city into closing down the 223rd Street encampment as well.
A camp spokesperson said he's disappointed the city is working to evict those who live there, who will be left with no choice but to set up in forested areas or hide out where they won't be harassed.
"We're not asking for the Ritz-Carlton or anything, just affordable housing," Steve Bodnar said.
"I'm not a drug user, I just need a place to live. I'm hoping this government will come through with what they're promising."
And MLA David Eby says the BC NDP will make it a priority.
Eby has spent years advocating for social housing as a critic for the Opposition. He hopes his party will soon form government and resolve what's been a deeply divisive issue in Maple Ridge.
"This has been going on for two years and we're back where we started," he told CTV News on Thursday.
Eby said the short-term solution will be to make sure that people are safe and have the supports that they need, and long-term politicians will work to make sure that they have the housing they need.
"The core of all these failures is a provincial government that failed to build housing for marginalized groups of people – but not just them, for people who live, work and pay taxes in Metro Vancouver as well – and failed to provide the mental health supports that would have prevented people from becoming homeless in the first place," he said.
The Maple Ridge camp is one of 70 in Metro Vancouver, he said, part of what he called a "massive spike" in the homeless population in the Vancouver area.
"We've got a lot of work to do, we're going to need a lot of support from all the communities across Metro Vancouver to help solve this problem, and I know the local MLAs are going to be working hard with city council and with the community to make sure that this problem can be solved."
With a report from CTV Vancouver's Penny Daflos
