Residents say loss of B.C. home for folks with mental illness will be 'step back' in their progress
CBC
Residents of an assisted living facility for people with mental illnesses in B.C. are pleading for answers about why their home is being shut down and sold off by the province, with no set plan for their futures.
Lina's Place in New Westminster, about 25 kilometres southeast of Vancouver, is currently home to 11 people who cook meals together, watch sports together, volunteer together and think of each other as family.
But in early July, they were called to a meeting where they were told the facility would be closing in a year because of the need for expensive but unspecified repairs to the 21-year-old duplex.
The residents have been told that a transition plan will be developed for each of them, but those who spoke with CBC worry they'll be split up and forced to leave the community they call home.
"These are my friends, these are my family," 59-year-old resident Jeff MacPherson said. "We care about each other."
Lina's Place is operated by Pioneer Community Living Association under contract with Fraser Health, in a home owned by B.C. Housing.
New Westminster Coun. Jaimie McEvoy says he's reached out to all three bodies to ask for more specifics about the repairs, which he understands are related to the building envelope, but so far, he's come up short.
He pointed out that if this situation involved a rental building, the landlord would have to provide proof of the repairs before evicting all the tenants.
"Buildings get repaired all the time. Buildings have issues all the time. It would really be nice if Fraser Health and B.C. Housing came forward with some better information," he said.
"I think it's difficult and unfair for the tenants and the families when they can't assess the situation for themselves."
MacPherson says living at Lina's Place has helped him build confidence and provided stability after a turbulent couple of decades that saw him living on the streets of Edmonton for a short time.
"If I went back to where I used to be … it'd be a step back in my progress," MacPherson said, referring to the transitional housing he lived in before.
He's not alone in those fears.
WATCH | Residents talk about losing Lina's Place:
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