The Chilliwack
Progress Friday
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Tolerance
Clean Up
Football
Taking it to the classroom.
Volunteers working to clean up the riverbank.
Huskers remake coaching staff.
Life
News
Sports
Y O U R C O M M U N I T Y N E W S PA P E R • F O U N D E D I N 1 8 9 1 • W W W. T H E P R O G R E S S . C O M • F R I D AY, A P R I L 3 , 2 0 1 5
Arrest made in string of Chilliwack robberies RCMP investigation into thefts continues
Garrett Wallace (right) takes a selfie with board of directors member Wayne Massey during the opening of the new expansion at Ruth and Naomi’s Mission on Wednesday. Wallace has been sober for eight months and using the services at Ruth and Naomi’s for the past five months. JENNA HAUCK/ PROGRESS
Shelters shifts from overnight to longer stays Jennifer Feinberg The Progress Chilliwack’s street population looking for a bed for the night at Ruth and Naomi’s mission are in for big changes. A brand-new addition for a 30-day homeless shelter program was officially opened Wednesday, with the help of funding partners Rotary Fraser Club of Chilliwack and City of Chilliwack. “We’re hoping it will have a big impact,” said Bill Raddatz, executive director at Ruth and Naomi’s. It’s already changing lives, like that of Garrett Wallace, one of the
first people at the mission to complete the 30-day program. They are still focused on providing “a hand up rather than a handout,” Raddatz said, but the shelter changes are substantial for the street-entrenched of downtown Chilliwack. The only time they’ll put mats down on the floor at Ruth and Naomi’s for overnight guests from here on in, will be during extreme weather events in fall and winter. The new shelter on the main floor will offer a type of introductory transitional housing with bunk beds for 12 men and four
women, a common space and meeting rooms. “We know that what we do downtown here has an impact on the greater community,” Raddatz said. They now can offer homeless and street-entrenched two choices in terms of shelter. They can choose to enter the 30-day program, come up with a personal plan and milestones to achieve. They can then choose to move into, or “graduate” to the upstairs section of the mission for the Step-Up Residential Recovery Centre. There they can seek inhouse residential drug and alco-
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hol treatment, or choose to seek permanent housing or treatment elsewhere. Some will come with nothing off the streets or from homeless camps, others may be referred by the courts or probation officers. “Getting them off the streets and hopefully into a recovery program. That’s the ultimate goal,” Raddatz said. “We can show them how when they become healthier, they also become better citizens of Chilliwack. We want them to feel like it’s home, but at the same time challenge them.” Continued: SHELTER/ p5
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A 29-year-old Chilliwack man has been charged in connection to two recent armed robberies. Jesse William Thompson is currently in custody, awaiting a court appearance in April. He is charged with attempted robbery, robbery, and wearing a disguise to commit robbery. The arrest was made following a series of robberies in Chilliwack last week. On March 24 at 8:10 p.m. a lone male, with his face covered and carrying a concealed weapon, entered a convenience store located in the 45000 block of First Avenue. The man fled on foot when confronted by a store employee. Later the same evening at 8:56 p.m. a lone male, with his face covered and carrying a concealed weapon, entered a restaurant located in the 45000 block of Yale Road. The man demanded money from the till then fled on foot with the stolen cash. “This arrest and subsequent charges are the result of dedicated team work by officers of the Chilliwack RCMP,” said Staff Sergeant Sukh Parmar, “resources from General Duty, Crime Reduction Unit, General Investigation Support Team Integrated Dog Services, and RCMP Forensic Identification Section were deployed during the investigation.” Chilliwack RCMP continues with the investigation into a series of robberies which occurred in the downtown core between March 17 and March 23. Police ask anyone with information regarding these robberies to contact the Chilliwack RCMP at 604-792-4611, or remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477(TIPS).