'You live under the surveillance of social workers,' says critic of Maple Ridge housing model

Raincity Housing and Support Society is defending the provincial supportive housing model following criticisms levelled against a plan to build a new facility in Maple Ridge.

The province recently announced the addition of 40 beds to help the city's growing homeless population.

The model was developed by the previous B.C. Liberal government but was criticized by an advocate for Maple Ridge's homeless population because it "strips away low income people's housing rights."

"You enter those buildings and lose those tenant rights; you're not covered by the Residential Tenancy Act, you live under the surveillance of social workers and almost the indirect surveillance of the police," said Ivan Drury, an organizer with the Alliance Against Displacement and a supporter of the Anita Place Tent City in Maple Ridge.

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'Institutions, not homes'

Drury said he's heard from many of the campers who refuse to move into supportive housing because they find the model too restrictive and too closely associated with police services.

"They feel like they're in institutions, not homes," said Drury. 

But the model works and doesn't limit tenant rights, according to Catharine Hume, co-executive director of Raincity Housing, which houses about 1,000 people in supportive housing across the Lower Mainland.

"Some people choose to have a level of support that helps them move forward in their lives. The problem, of course, is we have scarce housing and so the amount of choice that's available to people is extremely limited," Hume told Stephen Quinn, host of CBC's The Early Edition.

Policies vary from building to building and project to project based on the needs of tenants and the region, Hume explained, noting that some locations would include provisions for 24-hour staff monitoring at entryways and strict visitation policies.

In many instances people actually seek help from staff to manage their own guests, according to Hume.

"They have difficulty themselves saying no to people who sometimes create problems for them in a whole range of ways," she said.

She added that the society has increased the number and frequency of room checks in part because of the implications of the fentanyl crisis, but that privacy rights are taken seriously, especially if police become involved.

"We also sometimes need police to help us keep the environment safe for people, so it is a complicated relationship and one where we strive to make sure people's rights are protected."

With files from CBC Radio One's The Early Edition