Modular housing for homeless planned for Burnaby, B.C.

The City of Burnaby is the latest municipality in Metro Vancouver to build modular housing for its homeless population.

The province announced that it will invest $7.6 million to build 52 units at 3986 Norland Street west of Burnaby Lake.

The site will be operated by the non-profit Progressive Housing society and, like other modular projects around Metro Vancouver, will provide around-the-clock support to help residents maintain their housing and transition into permanent housing once they're able.

Meanwhile in Richmond and Maple Ridge, similar housing projects are drawing controversy, with some people supporting them, and others vehemently opposed.

"Some of the community dialogue sessions have raised to the surface some stigma and stereotyping that still exists when we talk around homelessness, or mental health, or addictions," Dominic Flanagan, strategic advisor on homelessness with BC Housing, told The Early Edition's Stephen Quinn.

"It's really important that we see people who are homeless not as a distinct and separate population."

Bring 'folks inside'

He applauds Richmond's approval of its modular project announced last week, which will include 40 units of supportive housing at 7300 Elmbridge Way in the Brighouse neighbourhood just off Westminster Highway.

These units will be open for five years and Flanagan said that offers a chance for residents to create positive connections in their community.

"It's an opportunity to bring those folks inside and really to transform and start to turn their lives around… That gives them five years to work with the City of Richmond and develop other partnerships. This is a quick way to respond to such an urgent need for homeless," he said.

Open houses about the Burnaby project are expected to take place next month.

With files from The Early Edition