As Maple Ridge restricts panhandling, homeless advocate says Abbotsford has improved
Posted November 13, 2019 11:56 am.
Last Updated November 13, 2019 11:57 am.
ABBOTSFORD (NEWS 1130) – As Maple Ridge cracks down on panhandlers, an advocate in a neighbouring community says there has been some progress in helping the homeless in other parts of the Fraser Valley.
Pastor Ward Draper with The 5 and 2 Ministries in Abbotsford remembers the tensions surrounding a homeless camp in that city in 2013. In one case, city workers spread chicken manure on a site where homeless people lived. The city later apologized.
Abbotsford has come a long way since then, he says, putting aside misconceptions and biases, and giving homeless people a voice in developing programs.
But Draper says there’s still more that needs to be done.
“Our city is still doing some things that I find questionable, and I’m sure other advocates in the community would agree,” he says. “For the most part the city is seeming to be attempting to take strides to address the issues, even though they are still growing signficantly, and housing is still a significant problem and will continue to be.”
RELATED: Bylaw targeting ‘aggressive’ panhandling passes in Maple Ridge
Draper says he’s seeing more collaboration, and members of the homeless community are being included in conversations and developing programs and designs.
“They’re trying to find ways to bring in the voices that weren’t included before, so that’s making some headway,” he says.
“They’ve learned to listen a little bit better, I think that’s been the significant thing, they’ve actually put aside a lot of their misconceptions and biases and decided to talk directly with the communities affected, and I think that’s been a significant component in some of the improvements we’ve seen.”
But it’s not perfect.
He says there are still problems with disruptions at homeless camps. In one case, he says the city took out all the trees in an area where homeless people were staying.
Maple Ridge city council has approved a bylaw that will make it much harder for poeple to panhandle, putting restrictions on times of day and locations it’s allowed.
