People living in Maple Ridge with complex mental-health and substance-use challenges will have access to enhanced services as the Province adds eight complex-care housing spaces to serve the community.

Complex-care housing provides supports to people who are facing overlapping mental health, substance use, trauma or brain injuries. Through Budget 2022, government is investing $164 million over the next three years to provide complex-care housing to as many as 500 people throughout British Columbia.

“Every person in British Columbia deserves a home – somewhere they can feel safe and live with dignity” said Jennifer Whiteside, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. “Complex-care housing services in Maple Ridge will connect people with the supports they need to access care, maintain or find new housing and help clients break out of the cycle of homelessness.”

Complex-care housing will be delivered in Maple Ridge by Fraser Health in partnership with local service providers. Complex-care housing teams will support residents in existing supportive housing or market rentals who require additional support to maintain their health and their homes.

“Wraparound health and housing supports can make a difference for individuals who haven’t benefited from previously offered service types,” said Laura Caron, director of clinical operations, Fraser Health. “We’re grateful for the additional resources so our team can help remove barriers to stable housing and health care for people with mental-health and substance-use challenges in Maple Ridge.”

Complex-care housing services are voluntary and will connect with people in their homes, helping them stabilize and achieve their goals. People in complex-care housing will receive a full package of comprehensive, person-centred services to meet their needs. Services can include:

• psychiatry and mental-health supports;
• primary care services, including nurses;
• overdose prevention and education;
• occupational therapy; and
• Indigenous support workers.

The Province launched complex-care housing in January 2022 with services announced in Abbotsford, Bella Coola, Fraser East, Kamloops, Kelowna, Langley, Maple Ridge, Nanaimo, Powell River, the Northern Health region, Sunshine Coast, Surrey, Vancouver and Victoria. Since the launch, the Province has announced services for 388 complex-care clients in communities throughout the province.

Quotes:

Lisa Beare, MLA, Maple Ridge-Mission –

“Complex-care housing is going to help community members have the supports they need to stay in their community. I’m proud that our government is bringing more supports online to ensure community members have the supports they need to get better and stay healthy.”

Bob D’Eith, MLA, Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows –

“For too many years, people who suffer from serious mental-health and addictions challenges were left behind. With complex-care housing coming to Maple Ridge, we’re adding more resources for people in the community to help prevent them from falling through the cracks and to reduce their risk of homelessness.”

Learn More:

Learn more about complex-care housing: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/mental-health-support-in-bc/complex-care-housing

For more information about mental health supports, visit: https://gov.bc.ca/mentalhealthsupports

A Pathway to Hope Roadmap: https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/BCMentalHealthRoadmap_2019.pdf