Canada, Province support multi-use housing in Surrey

Affordable housing is key to Canada’s pandemic recovery for communities across the country, including the Lower Mainland. That is why the Government of Canada and the Province of B.C. are thrilled to announce that residents are moving into the Province’s complex-care beds in the new Foxglove multi-use housing building in Surrey.

Today, Randeep Sarai, Member of Parliament for Surrey Centre, along with David Eby, Attorney General and Minister Responsible for Housing; Sheila Malcolmson, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions; Rachna Singh, Member of Legislative Assembly for Surrey-Green Timbers; Doug McCallum, mayor, City of Surrey; and project partners celebrated the opening of Foxglove,and announced details of a federal investment of $5 million through the National Housing Co-investment Fund (NHCF). The Province, through BC Housing, announced nearly $25 million in provincial funding through the Supportive Housing Fund (SHF), and approximately $3.2 in annual operating funding for the project. 

Located at 9810 Foxglove Dr., Foxglove is a six-storey building that will provide 66 supportive homes and 30 permanent shelter spaces for people at risk of or experiencing homelessness, as well as 34 complex-care beds for vulnerable people who need a level of support that goes beyond the current housing model. 

Foxglove is one of the first complex-care sites to open as part of the Province’s first-of-its-kind housing program. The complex-care housing will be delivered by Fraser Health in partnership with BC Housing and RainCity Housing and Support Society. Complex care clients will have access to enhanced supports on-site, including nurses, peer workers, social workers, and other health-care professionals, along with access to treatment and other specialized services. Five of the 30 shelter beds will be designated for complex-care support for guests requiring enhanced health services.

RainCity Housing and Support Society will operate the building and provide supportive housing residents and shelter guests with daily meals, life and employment skills training, health and wellness support services, and culturally appropriate supports for Indigenous residents.

Complex-care housing is voluntary. Services follow the client, so if they move, the services will move with them. Depending on the client’s needs, on-site services include:

• medication-assisted treatment and recovery coaching;
• psychiatric services;
• primary-care services;
• overdose prevention services;
• family and peer supports;
• skills training and counselling;
• cooking and meal support; and
• for Indigenous residents, ceremonial supports and connection to Elders.

The project is a result of a partnership between the Province, through BC Housing, the Government of Canada, through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), the Fraser Health Authority, RainCity Housing and Support Society, and the City of Surrey.

Since being announced in January 2022, complex care services are already being provided at two sites in Vancouver and one in Abbotsford. Complex-care is part of government’s broader provincial homelessness strategy, which will be released in later this year.

The Government of Canada funding for this project stems from the first tranche of a $75 million memorandum of understanding with the Government of British Columbia, designed to help build 1,500 units of affordable housing across the province.

Federal funding for projects under the first tranche of this MOU include:

• $2.0 million towards a 40-unit supportive housing project located at 749 School Rd in Gibsons. The Province provided approximately $14 million through the SHF, as well as approximately $1 million in annual operating funding.
• $1.9 million towards a 38-unit Peterson Place modular housing project located at 13245 King George Blvd in Surrey. The Province provided approximately $16 million to the project through the Homelessness Action Plan and will provide $1.1 million in an annual operating funding.
• $1.85 million towards a 55-unit project for women and children fleeing domestic violence in Prince George. The Province provided approximately $13.6 million to the project.
• $1.6 million for a 32-unit supportive housing project located at 355 Elliott St in Quesnel. The Province provided approximately $9 million to the project.

Quotes:

The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion -

“Every Canadian deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. Our government is committed to helping those who need it most, and this project will make a real difference in the lives of people in Surrey. We will continue to do our part to create even more affordable housing that will benefit all Canadians for decades to come. This is the National Housing Strategy at work.”

Randeep Sarai, Member of Parliament for Surrey Centre -

“This project here in Surrey is yet another example of what can be achieved when we work together. Through this collaboration with the province, we are helping to ensure that all people in Surrey and across our province have safe and affordable housing that enables them to thrive.”

David Eby, Attorney General and Minister Responsible for Housing -

“The opening of this building is the next step in providing a real solution to an issue that has gone on for far too long in B.C. We’re working to make sure the housing system works better for people with serious mental-health and addiction issues so they aren’t left behind in a cycle of shelters, evictions, emergency rooms and even jail cells. This building, and others like it opening across the province, will help people with complex challenges get the care they need, when and where they need it.”

Sheila Malcolmson, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions -

“Every person in British Columbia deserves a home – somewhere they can feel safe and live with dignity, especially those living with complex mental health and substance use challenges,” said Sheila Malcolmson, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. "As one of the first locations to provide complex care housing in our province, this new building and the services provided here will help people find stability and break the cycle of homelessness." 

Rachna Singh, Member of Legislative Assembly for Surrey-Green Timbers -

“Foxglove gives us the opportunity to provide safe, secure supportive and complex-care housing for people as they move forward in their journey to independent living. I would like to thank all our partners for their help in making this project a reality. These homes are the latest step we’re taking to address homelessness in Surrey and make our community healthier and safer.”

Doug McCallum, mayor, City of Surrey -

“We are pleased to be opening this new facility in Surrey, which is the first-of-its-kind complex care housing site that will provide enhanced support to individuals struggling with mental health, substance use and trauma. These new homes and shelter beds will be life-changing for 130 people in the Surrey community. Homelessness is a complex challenge that we must address together, as we work towards ensuring all of our residents have a safe place to call home and receive the support they need. This project is proof of our commitment in working with the Province to deliver much-needed housing across our city.” 

Catharine Hume, co-executive director, RainCity Housing and Support Society -

“We are pleased to be able to welcome 100 Surrey citizens into new homes and 30 Surrey citizens into shelter and are looking forward to getting to know people. We are particularly excited to be able to offer enhanced health supports in close collaboration with Fraser Health, enhanced Indigenous Cultural Supports and Peer Supports to 39 of the people we will be welcoming in. We are also focused on continuing to build relationships with the Semiahmoo Nation, our neighbours and community partners.”

Victoria Lee, president and CEO, Fraser Health Authority -

“We are proud to work with our partners to provide tailored, person-centred services to some of our most complex and vulnerable clients in Surrey. This integrated approach to health care and housing will support each person in addressing their unique health challenges where they live, helping them to live healthier, more fulfilling lives.”

Quick facts:

• The City of Surrey provided the land for the project and partnered with the Province to fund the construction of Foxglove Drive, the new road that provides access to the building.
• Since 2017, the Province has funded more than 32,000 affordable new homes that have been completed or are underway for people in B.C., including more than 1,300 homes in Surrey.
• Canada’s National Housing Strategy (NHS) is a 10-year, $72+ billion plan that will give more Canadians a place to call home.
• With a budget of $13.2 billion, the NHS’s National Housing Co-investment Fund (NHCF) gives priority to projects that help those in greatest need, including women and children fleeing family violence, seniors, Indigenous Peoples, people with disabilities, those dealing with mental health and addictions, veterans and young adults.
• Through the NHCF, the Government of Canada will work with partners to build up to 60,000 new affordable homes and repair up to 240,000 existing affordable and community homes.
• Under the NHCF, investments are also planned to create or repair at least 4,000 shelter spaces for victims of family violence, as well as create at least 7,000 new affordable housing units for seniors and 2,400 new affordable housing units for people with developmental disabilities.

Learn More:

• As Canada’s authority on housing, CMHC contributes to the stability of the housing market and financial system, provides support for Canadians in housing need, and offers unbiased housing research and advice to all levels of Canadian government, consumers and the housing industry. CMHC’s aim is that by 2030, everyone in Canada has a home they can afford and that meets their needs. For more information, please visit cmhc.ca.
• To find out more about the National Housing Strategy, please visit www.placetocallhome.ca.
• To learn more about complex-care housing, please visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2022MMHA0005-000083
• To learn about the steps the Province is taking to tackle the housing crisis and deliver affordable homes for British Columbians, visit: https://workingforyou.gov.bc.ca/
• A map showing the location of all announced provincially-funded housing projects in B.C. is  available online at: https://www.bchousing.org/homes-for-BC