People who are homeless or at risk of homelessness in Maple Ridge have a new place to call home thanks to today's official opening of Alouette Heights.

Managed and operated by Alouette Home Start Society, the building at 22207 Brown Ave. is a four-storey development, providing 45 apartments of supportive housing for individuals at risk of homelessness in Maple Ridge.

The development is a partnership between the government of B.C. and the municipality. The B.C. government provided approximately $8 million along with annual operational funding. The District of Maple Ridge contributed the land, valued at approximately $1 million.

Quotes:

Marc Dalton, MLA for Maple Ridge-Mission -

"These new apartments are a welcome addition to our community, housing those at risk in a supportive environment where they receive the opportunity to move forward in their lives. Our government is proud to work with the District of Maple Ridge and the Alouette Home Start Society to help create new supportive housing options for vulnerable individuals in Maple Ridge."

Ernie Daykin, mayor, District of Maple Ridge -

"Homelessness is an issue that affects every community. Here in Maple Ridge we find that partnerships and collaboration are the most effective way to deal with challenging issues. We all saw the problem, and Maple Ridge stepped up by providing the land available for this project. BC Housing was there to build the building. The Alouette Home Start Society is there to operate Alouette Heights. Complex problems require innovative solutions. Maple Ridge is very proud of this partnership, one that will change lives for the better."

Stephanie Ediger, executive director of Alouette Home Start Society -

"Our society is excited to officially open Alouette Heights in order to better support and strengthen the lives of our residents. The success of this project, and of our other programs, including the Iron Horse Youth Safe House and Route 29 initiatives, can be attributed to the generosity of our funding partners, community donors and the strength of our volunteers."

Quick Facts:

• Under the provincial housing strategy, Housing Matters BC, the government of B.C. has partnerships with eight communities to build more than 2,300 new units of supportive housing for those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness in B.C. (Abbotsford, Campbell River, Kelowna, Maple Ridge, Nanaimo, Surrey, Vancouver and Victoria). Construction is now underway or complete at many of the 32 housing developments proposed under these municipal partnerships.

• Since 2001, the B.C. government has invested $3.2 billion to provide affordable housing for low-income individuals, seniors and families. This year, more than 97,000 B.C. households will benefit from provincial social housing programs and services.

• In 2011-12, the B.C. government invested over $4.2 million to provide subsidized housing and rent supplements for more than 1,100 households in Maple Ridge.

• Alouette Home Start Society is a community-based, non-profit organization committed to providing safe, secure, affordable housing and access to support services to Maple Ridge residents in need since 2005.

Learn More:

To learn more about provincial programs and services to address homelessness, visit: www.bchousing.org/Initiatives/Creating/PHI

To learn more about programs and services offered by the Alouette Home Start Society, please visit: http://www.alouettehomestart.com

Media contacts:

Seumas Gordon
BC Housing
604 439-4789
604 417-5791 (cell)

Fred Armstrong
District of Maple Ridge
604 467-7452