we now have a project underway on the City owned site at Brown and 222nd after 7 years of development.
BC Housing is providing capital and operating funds and has entered a 60 year lease with the City for the land
AHSS is the developer/operator
The project is a 4 storey wood frame building with 45 self-contained studio units, 1 caretaker suite and enhanced amenity space. It is being built to LEED Gold standards.
We expect to move tenants into the building in early summer, 2012
Just a short outline of how we will operate:
The project will contain housing and support services for low-income tenants at risk of homelessness with a focus on those needing extra support services.
Best practices in supportive housing projects indicates that it is important for a building to have a mixture of tenants with varying support needs as it increases the opportunity to develop a safe community and tenants will be selected accordingly.
We'll select tenants referred by our partnering service/support agencies and BC Housing. Priority will be given to low-income singles living in Maple Ridge.
Tenants will enter both a limited lease agreement with a crime-free clause and a program contract.
Each tenant will develop an individualized support plan with their support worker on entry to the project. Staff will work with each tenant to ensure that they have every opportunity to succeed in attaining their goals.
At move-in AHSS will provide an orientation for all new tenants and outline behaviour expectations for tenants both within the building and in the neighbourhood.
Tenant rents will be set at the shelter portion of welfare or 30% of income
There will be a minimum of 1 staff person in the building 24/7. BC Housing has approved our operating funding that assures this level.
Neighbours and interested individuals who may wish to participate on a Community Advisory Committee now that the project is underway are invited to call Stephanie Ediger, Executive Director of AHSS at 604-466-2665. The intent is to work with our neighbours to ensure the project is an asset to our community.
The Housing Continuum
Addressing homelessness is generally seen as a phased approach by the non-profit housing sector - often referred to as the housing continuum
The first phase is a homeless shelter – which the Caring Place provides in MR
The second is Transitional Housing - this stage provides a high level of support services as the tenants will be coming from shelters or, in the Housing First model, direct from the street. The Caring Place provides our community with Transitional Housing through their Genesis Program
The third stage is Supportive Housing, and this is where Alouette Heights fits in - units are self-contained; there is modest 24/7 support to tenants on site but tenants will have been assessed to be able to live independently with those limited supports. Tenants are usually on a program.
Affordable rental in the private market is the 4th stage
