B.C. premier David Eby singled out the community of Chilliwack for helping those struggling with homelessness during his keynote address at the UBCM Convention 2024 on Thursday (Sept. 19).

Eby was handing out kudos to B.C. communities large and small in the first 15 minutes of his speech to municipal leaders, like mentioning Vancouver, which has rents down six per cent this year, down from record-high rent levels, as well as smaller communities like Trail.

"There's another community I'd like to recognize, because at the bottom rung of the housing market we've seen people really struggling to get inside," Eby said turning to Chilliwack.

Ensuring people with addictions and homelessness get the care they need is a pillar of the NDP campaign.

"We've seen challenges with homelessness," Eby said. "Mayor Popove and the community of Chilliwack have worked with our local MLAs around a facility called the Chilliwack Wellness Centre."

"They made sure that it's open during the daytime so people outside have a place to go, other than just being downtown, or being moved around from place to place.

It was a collaborative effort between partners like City of Chilliwack, BC Housing, along with Fraser Health and PCRS to secure three years of funding earlier this year to keep the wellness centre open.

In March they announced plans to transform the centre on Trethewey Avenue into an overnight shelter with a daytime hub space, and overdose prevention services.

"As a result of their work, police calls are down, businesses are happier and people struggling with homelessness are getting connected with services, and moving inside. Thank you to the community of Chilliwack for your work on this."

Eby pledged additional community policing resources to help beleaguered downtowns in cities and towns.

He emphasized the importance of people feeling safe and looked after in their communities, "whether they're lying on the sidewalk or yelling," that they are made to feel safe and looked after "with the care they need."

Chilliwack Mayor Ken Popove said it had become clear they needed daytime options for those living rough by 2021, which was also the year that Chilliwack finally qualified for federal homelessness funding.

"It was through the work of the Chilliwack Integrated Community Safety Task Force, on the Chilliwack Community Safety Plan, and the Community Response Team, that the pressing need for a location for individuals experiencing homelessness to go during the day was identified."

The following year city officials applied for, and received one-time funding through UBCM鈥檚 Strengthening Communities Program, Reaching Home, Fraser Health, and BC Housing, to address the gaps. 

"When that funding ended a year later, we advocated for the provincial government to continue providing this vital service in Chilliwack.

"BC Housing provided funding and is supervising the operation of the site," Popove said.

Chilliwack saw the biggest spike in homelessness in 2023 in the region with 413 individuals who identified as homeless in Chilliwack, up from 306 during the last point-in-time count.

鈥淚t is satisfying to know that, thanks to our persistence in advocating for the continuation of the Wellness Centre, an average of 120 people per day have a safe place to go during the day while connecting with essential supports and services," Popove concluded.