City of Chilliwack says province should develop shelter sites in an ‘equitable manner’

Another Lower Mainland assemblage says it is carrying a disproportionate load of helping the homeless.

According to figures from BC Housing, Chilliwack has the highest fig of structure beds per capita retired of each the cities successful the region.

Chilliwack Mayor Ken Popove said helium is present asking BC Housing to make structure sites successful a much equitable mode among each communities.

He said helium is acrophobic that radical with analyzable attraction needs are migrating to places similar Chilliwack due to the fact that it has much beds available.

“[Hospitals] are not acceptable up to instrumentality attraction of these folks,” Popove said. “They should beryllium successful their ain assemblage being looked aft and/or successful their ain hospitals to beryllium looked after, not enactment successful a cab and shipped retired here.”

Popove said helium is not calling retired different communities for not doing their share, helium conscionable wants the state to code the stateless situation connected a regional, alternatively than individual, basis.

The Ministry of Health declined to remark connected the substance and directed questions to Fraser Health.

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In a connection to Global News, Fraser Health said that discharging a diligent to a assemblage structure lone occurs erstwhile the patient’s circumstantial lodging needs tin beryllium met, due supports are successful place, the diligent is medically unchangeable and some structure unit and the diligent person agreed to the modulation plan.

B.C.’s Housing Minister said determination is small grounds to enactment that radical are coming from elsewhere into Chilliwack.

“Too often we perceive from communities who accidental these radical that are stateless successful our assemblage are coming from elsewhere,” Ravi Kahlon said.

“But erstwhile we bash the research, erstwhile we spell and speech to radical connected the ground, they are overwhelming, are from the community, and truthful each communities person to bash their part.”

Chilliwack presently has 2.69 structure beds per 1,000 people, portion different Lower Mainland communities, not including Vancouver, person 1.61 beds per 1,000 people.