A non-profit group has been formed in the hope of breaking the stalemate between residents who either support or oppose the temporary modular housing (TMH) for homeless on Elmbridge Way.
Dialogue Richmond, led by Richmond resident Henry Yao, who is also a board member of the Richmond Chinese Community Society, will host a TMH roundtable on Wednesday, April 4 at 6:15 p.m. at the Cultural Centre.
“I think, at this point, it’s very important to have a constructive conversation instead of those angry emotionally charged arguments,” said Yao to the Richmond News.
“The goal of the roundtable is to create a fair, simple and constructive channel, where both sides can hear each other’s concerns, and learn from local professionals who can answer questions and correct any misguided information.”
Both the 7300 Elmbridge Group and Richmond Poverty Response Committee, who are at odds over the project, will send representatives to the event, according to Yao.
Staff from B.C. Housing and other local non-profit organizations such as the Richmond Food Bank and Chimo Community Services will also attend and answer questions.
“These collective efforts aim to place a greater understanding of how the community should move forward with modular housing projects,” said Yao.
The roundtable, which is open to the public, will consist of two parts – a panel for all parties to express their opinions, and a Q&A session for the audience to ask questions to any of the groups involved.
Yao hopes the TMH roundtable will be a good example of "how the community can become more united through conversation, consideration and cooperation."
“The level of dialogue in Richmond needs to improve, and we're putting on this roundtable to do just that,” said Yao.
“Dialogue Richmond will continue to work to foster a safe, inclusive environment for people to have conversations on city issues in the future."
