Abbotsford encampment to be cleared to make way for 50-person shelter

An encampment in Abbotsford is going to be cleared to make way for a 50-person shelter, the B.C. government announced Tuesday.

The move comes after Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon had promised the province was going to “do something” after local authorities suggested the Lonzo camp was unsafe.

Kahlon says the Crown land will now be repurposed for a new shelter in the area.

In a statement, the province says it will be working with the City of Abbotsford, BC Housing, and other local service providers to “transition” the people living at the encampment on Lonzo Road and Sumas Way into “safe indoor spaces to address health and safety concerns.”

“Once the encampment has been vacated, construction will begin on a new 50-bed shelter that will be temporarily located at the site. The new shelter will replace the existing 40-bed Riverside Road shelter and allow the Riverside shelter to be replaced by a new permanent supportive housing building, adjacent to Cole Starnes Place,” the province explained.

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People living at Lonzo have been told they must leave by June 26, the province explains, so construction can begin on schedule.

“We are taking action to provide much-needed shelter and housing for people experiencing homelessness, and to support their safety and stability in Abbotsford,” said Kahlon. “While we understand this encampment response at Lonzo will be challenging for its current occupants, it is necessary to address health, fire, and safety issues at the encampment, and to support the creation of a new shelter on the Lonzo site as well as new supportive housing in the community.”

The province says everyone in the Lonzo camp will be offered an “indoor space” — which includes either access to a shelter, supportive housing spaces in the community, or rent supplements for use towards private housing.

There are about 15 people living at the Lonzo camp currently, the province estimates. The 25 RVs and cars at the site will be removed once the residents have left.

“The City of Abbotsford is grateful for the Province and BC Housing’s continued support of our community through these important housing first investments,” said Abbotsford Mayor Ross Siemens.

“We know that sheltering in encampments is not safe and our community has struggled to provide adequate support services for the vulnerable people located in this area. The new shelter and the encampment response at Lonzo Road and Sumas Way will provide immediate supports for people sheltering outside at that location, and the new permanent supportive housing facility will provide greatly needed additional community supports for people experiencing homelessness in Abbotsford.”

The province says construction of the shelter is expected to be completed by the end of the year, with the shelter to operate for as long as 18 months while a new shelter location is found.

Kahlon says while the change is likely to be challenging for the people living in the camp, health, fire, and safety issues mean this action from the B.C. government is needed.

“We know that it’s become a real challenge on this site. The mayor highlighted it, a lot of calls to police, a lot of calls to fire. It’s not safe for the individuals living there, it’s not safe for the community at large,” he said.

Police have said the number of violent crime calls near the site has almost quadrupled in recent years, from 31 in 2015 to 119 in 2022.

–With files from Martin MacMahon