Surrey council green lights shelter despite concerns about location

Surrey city council plans to transform a two storey building wedged between an RCMP detachment and a grocery store into a low barrier winter shelter for the homeless.

The facility is expected to open in the new year near 104 Avenue and 148 Street after renovations are completed.

Councillor Tom Gill voted against the proposal Monday night because he believes it's too close to an elementary school and park.

"It's just steps away and I'm quite concerned in terms of the number of kids that utilize that park," he said.

"That being said, I'm not sure there is a good spot in the city for one of these operations."

Councillor Vera LeFranc said she doesn't think the shelter will cause any problems.

"As a neighbour who lives within a half a block of this particular location, I have to lead by example," she said.

"I feel like really well run shelters do lead to very good quality of life in neighbourhoods."

Why not Whalley?

Council was originally considering a shelter on the 135A Street strip where there is a large homeless population.

The Downtown Surrey Business Improvement Association convinced council to look elsewhere, saying businesses in the area are already complaining about drug use and vandalism.

"They spoke very passionately about wanting to spread some of those social services beyond the city centre core and I was certainly very supportive of that," said councillor Bruce Hayne.

Hayne says he also shares Gill's concerns about the Guildford site but supports the shelter as a pilot project.

The city will pay to upgrade the building and B.C. Housing will cover operational costs.