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Will the new Fraser Street housing project cater to all resident needs? The city hopes so

The new building on Fraser and 224th Street will include a space for social gatherings, cultural and traditional activities

BC Housing is hosting public information sessions about the new housing project on Fraser Street till Wednesday. But the city of Maple Ridge wants to ensure they are more than just living spaces. 

In a statement issued by the city,  Maple Ridge Mayor Mike Morden emphasized the importance of “complex care” housing for the 11685 and 11695 Fraser Street project.

Read: New housing project hopes to help middle class families in Maple Ridge – The Ridge (readtheridge.com)

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“Housing alone is not the entire solution [as] without the right care and programs, the problems residents and the neighbourhood face daily at Royal Crescent will simply move with them to Fraser Street, just two blocks away,” he said.  

But BC Housing shared that the new building on Fraser and 224th Street will include a communal space.

It will host skill workshops for residents as well as social and cultural gatherings.

“It will give residents an opportunity to interact with each other, the staff [and] guests outside their rooms, something that was not possible at Royal Crescent,” said Tim Chamberlin, media representative of BC Housing. 

Read: BC Housing launches podcast to discuss the province-wide housing crisis – The Ridge (readtheridge.com)

The 52-units, built off-site, will replace the Royal Crescent modular housing that has reached the end of its useful life.

Residents will move to this new housing by summer 2022.

On Thursday, the city announced a new 64 rental unit housing project. The Turnock Manor, for middle-class families and individuals, struggling to find affordable homes near work. 

BC Housing is currently working on 243 affordable homes across Maple Ridge. This includes family housing, shelter and supportive housing, youth housing and affordable homes for seniors.  

Author

Ayesha (Eye-Sha) Ghaffar is a recent graduate from the UBC school of journalism and a new addition to the Constellation Media team. She moved to Canada two years ago from Karachi, Pakistan with a bachelor’s degree in Media Sciences (film/advertising/journalism).

She worked as a lifestyle journalist in Pakistan for nearly four years before she decided to pursue her passion for investigative journalism and meaningful storytelling.

Whether it’s social media, print, digital or audio storytelling, Ayesha has experience working with several mediums and continues to learn more about them.

She has published works internationally in Abu Dhabi World magazine, Wamda Capital Dubai and Something Haute Pakistan. In Canada, her words can be found at Global News, CBC Unreserved and National Post.

As a PoC Ayesha hopes to continue amplifying Indigenous and underrepresented voices in Canada, whether that includes social justice, climate change or immigration; she does not limit herself.