Safe and supportive homes opening soon will give people experiencing homelessness in Richmond the opportunity to recover and support the overall health of the community.

“These homes will help people heal and ensure they have access to a secure home in a welcoming community,” said Bowinn Ma, MLA for North Vancouver-Lonsdale. “The positive effects of housing people will extend to local businesses and neighbours, and indeed the entire community, like we’ve seen in so many communities around B.C.”

Located at 6999 Alderbridge Way, the newly completed three-storey modular apartment features 40 self-contained homes. Each home has a kitchenette and washroom, and there are four units designed for people with disabilities. The ground floor includes a commercial-grade kitchen, common dining area, laundry facilities and support service rooms.

“Housing affordability remains a critical issue in Richmond and individuals experiencing homelessness are especially vulnerable,” said Malcolm Brodie, mayor, City of Richmond. “An appropriate mix of housing to support Richmond’s diverse population is essential to creating an inclusive community. A collaborative approach among governments and the community is necessary to meet this objective. By working together with our partners, 40 Richmond residents previously experiencing homelessness will now have a place to call home.”

RainCity Housing and Support Society will operate the building and provide residents with meal programs, life and employment skills training, health and wellness support services, and opportunities for volunteer work.

“We are looking forward to continuing our work in Richmond and are grateful for the support and warm welcome we have received from the community over this past year,” said Catharine Hume, co-executive director, RainCity Housing. “We are excited to be able to welcome a number of Richmond citizens into their new homes over the coming weeks and are pleased to be a part of addressing homelessness in Richmond through the provision of safe, supported and affordable housing. We look forward to working with the people moving into this housing, our neighbours and community partners over the coming months and years.”

The Province invested $7.8 million in capital and construction costs, and will provide an annual operating subsidy for the project.

The land for the supportive housing project was provided by the City of Richmond.

People will start moving into the homes by the end of the month.  

B.C.-based manufacturer Horizon North was selected by the Province to manufacture the modular units in Richmond and several other modular projects in B.C., supporting jobs and local economies.

Provincial investments in the past 18 months are supporting the construction of 4,700 new supportive homes for people experiencing homelessness throughout B.C.

Delivering affordable housing is a shared commitment between government and the BC Green Party Caucus and is a part of the Confidence and Supply Agreement.

Quick Facts:

• This project brings the number of completed modular supportive homes built throughout the province to more than 1,200. An additional 800 more are underway as part of the Building BC: Rapid Response to Homelessness program, which is bringing more than 2,000 modular supportive homes to 22 communities.
• Since 2007, the City of Richmond has secured 800 low-end market-rental units for low- to moderate-income households.
• In the past five years, the City of Richmond has contributed $19.8 million to the Storeys project — 129 units of affordable rental housing and a social service hub for persons who are at risk of homelessness and $24.1 million to the Kiwanis Towers — 296 affordable rental units for low-income seniors.
• The City of Richmond is currently updating its homelessness strategy, which will guide the community’s actions regarding homeless service provision over the next 10 years.

Learn More:

Building BC: Rapid Response to Homelessness program: https://www.bchousing.org/partner-services/Building-BC/rapid-response-homelessness

For a map of the modular projects, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/Building-BC-Rapid-Response-Homelessness-Map.pdf

For more information on the City of Richmond’s commitment to affordable housing, visit: Richmond.ca/affordablehousing

To find out more about RainCity Housing and Support Services, visit: www.raincityhousing.org

A backgrounder follows.

To read this release in Chinese, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/2019_NR_Richmond_Modular_Opening_FNL-TCH.pdf