Coquitlam bashes province over lack of supports at 3030 Gordon

There has not been a reset.

Approximately one year ago an independent report described frequent drug use, vandalism, threats, as well as frequent staff turnover and diminishing public confidence in the shelter operator at 3030 Gordon Ave., suggesting the project may need a reset.

In the past year the Tri-Cities have seen more people in need getting less help, according to Coquitlam city council.

“I’m beyond frustrated that we’re losing lives. We’re losing community empathy for the enormous number of people who cannot get treatment for their mental illness or their addictions,” Mayor Richard Stewart said Monday. “What they need is not a better cardboard box. What they need is government policy aimed at giving them their lives back.”

Council unanimously voted to send a letter to the province, emphasizing the need for more supportive housing, mental health and substance use services, and more coordinated outreach services.

B.C. Housing response

Residents at the shelter get clinical services from Fraser Health as well as “referrals or connections to mental health and addiction resources,” according to a response from B.C. Housing.

The ministry noted the province has contributed to building more than 1,030 homes in the Tri-Cities since 2017.

“We will continue to focus on the delivery of long-term housing options so that people experiencing homelessness can pursue more housing stability over time,” a ministry spokesperson stated in an email to the Dispatch.

Pessimism on council

Discussing the issue on Monday, many on Coquitlam council seemed doubtful that sending a letter to the province would achieve anything.

City council has gone through tours, had meetings and pored over reports, but the situation has deteriorated, said Coun. Craig Hodge.

“They’ve let down the residents of Coquitlam but more importantly they’ve let down the very people that this was supposed to help.”

The city is a willing partner, but they need the province to “honour their commitment” to provide wraparound services, explained Coun. Steve Kim.

“The time for action is now. Words mean nothing,” Kim said.

“The time for action was seven years ago, but now would be fine too,” Stewart interjected.

‘Only one part’ of the solution

As homelessness increases, it’s easy to look at a shelter as part of the problem, according to RainCity Housing co-executive director Catharine Hume.

“It’s part of the solution, but it’s only one part,” she said. “The focus of our collective responsibility gets diluted when we start to point fingers.”

RainCity has worked with Fraser Health to have some resources at 3030 Gordon, Hume said.

“While there isn’t 24/7 healthcare providers on site . . . we’ve come a long way in terms of facilitating access to health services in partnership with Fraser Health,” she said.

More people have set up tents near the shelter recently, Hume acknowledged.

“There’s a significant number of humans that don’t have other options in the community because of lack of affordable housing,” she said.

However, the problem is bigger than that block.

“That is a collective problem, that is not a 3030 Gordon problem or even a Tri-Cities problem,” she said, noting the impacts of the drug poisoning crisis as well as the housing affordability crisis.

Those crises are resulting in more people with no place to go, she said, noting that RainCity is ill-equipped to deal with structural problems such as the housing shortage.

More than 800 calls

The city has been “advocating until the cows come home” but the problems at 3030 Gordon just seem to be getting worse, Coun. Teri Towner said.

“I acknowledge the world has changed. There’s toxic drugs, our population has grown, there’s not enough supportive housing, there’s not enough treatment, affordability is a challenge, the pandemic also changed things,” she said.

Towner noted the resources that go toward the homeless shelter.

In 2023, Coquitlam Fire and Rescue rolled to 218 incidents at the shelter while Coquitlam RCMP responded to 606 calls at the shelter and the surrounding neighbourhood.

City bylaw staff also made daily trips to the block to attend to issues like illegal dumping and unauthorized encampments.

The province launched a Peer Clean Team to manage cleanliness in the area, according to a Ministry of Housing spokesperson.

It gets harder for the city to provide core services, “without huge tax increases because of the downloading [from the province] in many other areas,” Towner said.

Coun. Brent Asmundson agreed, noting the city doesn’t have the resources to deal with the homelessness crisis.

Asmundson also expressed mixed feelings about having supported a shelter at 3030 Gordon Ave.

“If I had known what I know today, I would never have approved a shelter in our community,” he said.

Talks with the province have alternated between silence and broken promises, Asmundson said.

“We were, I would say, misled by B.C. Housing. They made a promise to us,” he said. “They said, ‘Yes, we will provide the wraparound services.’”

Fewer supports

Coun. Matt Djonlic noted that the people at 3030 Gordon are “our residents” and council has a responsibility to help them.

However, that’s become more difficult amid a general decline in service, Djonlic explained.

A city staff report noted the March 31 closure of the temporary expansion shelter at the SureStay hotel meant the loss of 30 shelter units.

Funding cuts have also meant the loss of two outreach workers in Port Moody. Following the closure of the winter shelter program in April, the Progressive Housing Society won’t have the funds to pay two outreach workers and a program lead in the Tri-Cities until next winter.

That uncertainty around funding means outreach organization lose employees, institutional knowledge, as well as bonds between outreach workers and the people they’re trying to help, Djonlic said.

In 2023, an idea was pitched for a hub where homeless people could drop by for a meal, a shower and laundry while also getting access to basic healthcare and income assistance. The hub was meant to be run by Trinity United Church, Progressive Housing Society, and SHARE. However, the hub “went unfunded,” according to a city staff report.

While RainCity deserves some of the blame, the “abysmal failure” at 3030 Gordon rests with Premier David Eby, according to Coun. Dennis Marsden.

Coun. Robert Mazzarolo distilled Coquitlam’s request into four words: “Province, do your job.”

In making his closing comments, Stewart made a plea for treatment, emphasizing that proper care can give people their lives back.

“Treatment can work. Treatment will work for so many of these individuals,” he said.

Council unanimously supported sending a letter to the province.

“That should fix it,” Stewart added.