Maple Ridge is already providing more LOW BARRIER BEDS than any community outside Vancouver.

Maple Ridge has always been a caring, compassionate community. We are already providing more low barrier shelter accommodations than any community outside Vancouver.

We are far outpacing neighbouring cities with much larger populations—some offering zero low barrier beds. Coquitlam, for instance, has one low barrier shelter for a population of 144,668. Ninety beds are offered in Coquitlam. Our three existing low barrier facilities, Rain City, the Salvation Army and Alouette Heights, offer total accommodation for 125. Our population is around 80,000.

Surrey is the only other city with three low barrier shelters, providing 78 low barrier beds compared with our 125—and this is for a population of just under half a million. Many cities have zero low barrier facilities—including Burnaby with a population of 238,209 and Langley with a population of 131,915.

The new facility proposed will bring the number of low barrier beds in Maple Ridge up to 175—and that’s before we add in the more than 316 people housed in “scattered housing” throughout Maple Ridge…AND 60 living in the rough.