Surrey hotel closure sends residents to shelters

A low-income hotel in Surrey, B.C., will close its doors on Monday, leaving residents scrambling to find a place to sleep.

Chantal Richard, who has been living at the Dell Hotel in Surrey's Whalley neighbourhood for six months, doesn't know what she'll do when the hotel closes.

"I'm only 21 years old. This is a place for me to stay," she said. "Like, I am not sleeping on the sidewalk. I could get beat, I could get raped. I don't know."

New owners took possession of the privately-owned hotel in September, and it has been slated for redevelopment.

BC Housing staff and outreach workers have been working to find homes for the residents, but Richard is a hard drug user, making her even more difficult to house.

"I don't have really close friends, I don't have family whatever," she said.

Residents moved to shelters

Aileen Murphy, Surrey's social planner, said no one will be left out in the cold.

"BC Housing is working with the shelters in the city to ensure that there will be space for any people that don't have another place to go," Murphy said.

It's expected many of the residents will end up at the Urban Mission in Surrey.

"We anticipate anywhere from four or five people to maybe 25 or 30 people," said shelter spokesperson Jonquil Hallgate.

"Some people might have made other arrangements or have other places to go and just haven't communicated that to anyone, so it's going to be an adventure."

But Richard anticipates many of the residents won't go willingly.

"All I can say is, you have a bunch that will put up a fight."