Tuesday, November 6, 2012 Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows pay tribute to their veterans in a variety of different ways.
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Temporary housing offers leg up
Alouette Heights provides a safe, secure place for people on the brink of homelessness. by Troy Landreville
Shelby Lynn Milburn has lived at Alouette Heights for three months, and has support from Alouette Home Start Society employees such as supportive housing coordinator Tamara Gorin (background).
tlandreville@mrtimes.com
Troy Landreville/TIMES
we had four days off, four days on,” Milburn said. “It was a good agreement. I really liked it.” About a year ago, Milburn parted ways with her former employer. “It was just really hard for me,” she said. “I had lots of issues from the past, and it just kind of hits you after a while. I just couldn’t hold a job, and I was having a hard time keeping a job because of all the emotional stuff going through my head.” “I had a tough life growing up,” she continued. “I grew up in foster care. That’s why I’m trying to apply for disability, to see what’s going on.” Milburn was living in an apartment that she couldn’t afford, so she gave Lynn to her father, so the girl could have a stable place to call home. Meanwhile, Milburn found out about her future home through income assistance. For the security and peace of mind of Milburn and the other residents, Alouette Heights has a caretaker and tenant support workers on site 24 hours a day. Tenants sign crime-free and good-neighbour Online, all the time...
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agreements as part of their legal tenancy agreements, for the comfort and safety of all who live there. The agreements extend from the building and into the surrounding neighbourhood. Residents can live at Alouette Heights for between six months and two years, depending on how long it takes them to achieve their personal goals. Supportive housing coordinator Tamara Gorin said Alouette Heights is a first step towards addressing the need for affordable housing in the community. “It’s helping people in risk of homelessness to people who have had periods of absolute homelessness,” Gorin said. “The majority have plans of schooling and work and need a stable place to have their children to come and visit them. We use housing to help them meet their goals.” Gorin said Alouette Heights tenants are community minded, pointing to the fact they adopted a section of 222nd Street from Dewdney Trunk Road to 121st Avenue, and have been working diligently to keep the area clean.
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Rebuilding your life isn’t easy; it’s nearly impossible when you aren’t sure if you’re going to have a roof over your head from one day to the next. For low-income singles living at Alouette Heights, the apartment building on the northeast corner of 222nd Street and Brown Road, it gives them a place to live while they work through school and job training. The grand opening for the 45unit, four-storey complex was held late last month. The development is a partnership between the B.C. government and the municipality, with the province funneling about $8 million into the project to go along with annual operational funding. The District contributed the land, which is valued at roughly $1 million. Tenants range in age from 18 to 63, and include 29-year-old Shelby talk to, but when I think ‘I’m kind Lynn Milburn, a single mom to her of getting off track here, I don’t seven-year-old daughter Lynn. understand this.’ Then they explain Milburn moved into the Alouette to me, ‘You have to go to this place Home Start Society-operated buildor that place.’ Then I go do those ing three months ago and said it’s steps properly.” given her support while she goes to Milburn grew up in Maple Ridge. school part time to obtain her adult After having her daughter, Milburn dogwood diploma. married the father of her child. “It’s stability,” said Milburn, who About a year later, the couple sepis currently applying for disability arated. and plans to either Milburn lived “They make sure that go into child care with her dad for a or work in the fitwhile, then resided when you’re living ness industry in the in a couple of difhere, you are setting future. ferent places while Milburn is on she dealt with emoyour own goals.” income assistance, tional issues. Shelby Lynn Milburn so her housing is “I never really subsidized. was able to be She lives in a bachelor apartindependent,” Milburn said. ment with a small alcove that she “When I had the opportunity to be converts into her daughter’s room independent, life was hard for me whenever she comes to stay. to understand.” Every couple of months, supportShe had support from her father, ive housing workers do goal-setting who she lived with in Maple Ridge with the tenants. before he moved to Spokane, “They make sure that when Wash. you’re living here, you are setting Milburn found full-time work, your own goals,” Milburn said. and shared custody of Lynn with “That really helps me out. It’s her daughter’s father. nice to have somebody not just to “We shared [custody] 50/50, so
Quick Facts
• The government of B.C. has partnerships with eight communities to build more than 2,300 new units of supportive housing for those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness in B.C. (Abbotsford, Campbell River, Kelowna, Maple Ridge, Nanaimo, Surrey, Vancouver, and Victoria). • Construction is now underway or complete at many of the 32 housing developments proposed under these municipal partnerships. • In 2011-12, the B.C. government invested more than $4.2 million to provide subsidized housing and rent supplements for more than 1,100 households in Maple Ridge. • Alouette Home Start Society is a community-based, non-profit organization that has provided safe, secure, affordable housing and access to support services to Maple Ridge r esidents in need since 2005.
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