Surrey Strip transformed into ‘safe space’ after modular housing opens
SURREY — Every other weekend for the past seven years, Linda Cabeza has set up a table on the “Surrey Strip” and served sandwiches to people sleeping on the street.
On the weekend, she was shocked to find the wide sidewalks bordering 135A Street deserted. “I’m amazed,” she said. “We always said there was no political will to address this problem. But I guess there was.”
Cabeza took her sandwiches to the new modular housing complex on 105 Avenue instead — one of three sites where the City of Surrey and B.C. Housing have provided 160 temporary modular units for Surrey’s homeless residents.
The supportive units will house people for the next two years until 250 permanent modular homes can be built.
Resident Liam Windecker said his unit is small, “but I like it. It gives me some hope.” Windecker and his wife lived in a tent on the strip until last week when they were among the first people to move into the new complex.
Each studio unit has an ensuite, bed, chair, desk, mini fridge and microwave. There is a communal dining area where meals are provided along with access to free laundry.
The complex is overseen by at least two staff members 24 hours a day, and residents have access to health and counselling services, along with life and employment skills programming. There is some storage on site, along with a safe consumption room for people who use drugs.
Lucas Costain is staying with a friend while he waits for his own unit. “I didn’t get a place here yet,” he said. “This is a great idea. They’ve got to stop jailing the homeless.”
The majority of people who left the Surrey Strip last week have moved into housing, said Jas Rehal, manager of public safety operations for the City of Surrey. “We’re pleased with the move. Everyone is staying in their houses so far.”
There was a “minor displacement” of people who did not want to move into housing. Some have left Surrey, while others eventually decided to take a space.
One of the city’s goals was to turn 135A back into a normal street with a sidewalk for pedestrian use, said Rehal. “That’s been a success, but we want to ensure it remains a success.”
The city plans to maintain its relationship with B.C. Housing and keep the Surrey Outreach Team in place for the time being. The squad of police and bylaw officers patrols the area around the clock.
A week after moving day, the Surrey Strip is transformed. Where once there were dozens of tents, there is an empty sidewalk bordered by chain-link fencing. Each telephone pole bears a “no loitering” sign, and for the most part, people comply as they walk to the bottle depot and supervised consumption site.
An ambulance comes and goes again. A police car drives past.
“My customers are happy, [and] they feel safe,” said James Lee, owner of Grace Automotive at the corner of 135A Street and 106 Avenue. “I’m happy. There’s less mess and less cleanup.”
Lee hopes the police department will monitor the area at night when he suspects drug transactions and prostitution are still happening.
The most recent Metro Vancouver homeless count found that more than 600 people in Surrey are homeless, with about 400 living in the City Centre area. At the time, almost 240 of those people were sheltered, while the rest lived on 135A Street.