A second supportive housing complex for people in Richmond who are experiencing homelessness officially opens on Tuesday.
The three-storey temporary modular housing (TMH) building features 40 self-contained units, each with a private kitchenette and washroom, and is located at Aster Place, 2520 Smith St., just south of the Bridgeport Canada Line Station.
BC Housing provided approximately $9.5 million while the City of Richmond put in $250,000 and provided the land on a temporary basis.
Support services such as employment assistance, daily meals, life skills training and mental health and addiction recovery services will be provided under the operation of Community Builders Group with staff onsite 24/7.
This supportive housing building is replacing Richmond’s temporary Emergency Response Centre, located at the former Minoru Place Activity Centre, which has housed vulnerable people during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Aster TMH was initially set to open in the spring of 2022, but “slight delays” with building permit coordination, according to BC Housing, the opening was pushed back to the fall.
Richmond’s first TMH opened three years ago on Alderbridge Way and is operated by RainCity. It faced fierce opposition from the neighbourhood during the planning stages.
There hasn’t been any notable opposition for the second TMH.
