Maple Ridge to open new shelter for homeless campers

Maple Ridge is planning to open a new temporary homeless shelter this October in order to relocate the homeless residents of a camp that sprung up along Cliff Avenue last May.

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The 40-bed temporary shelter will be located in a former Sleep Shop building located east of 222 Street and the Lougheed Highway and will operate until March of 2016,according to Mayor Nicole Read.

"We will be working closely with the temporary shelter provider to mitigate any impacts with the immediate neighbourhood,"said the mayor.

In the meantime the city plans to provide extra security at the Cliff Avenue camp while"decampment" takes place.

The move comes after Maple Ridge asked B.C. Housing to end a contract with the city's Salvation Army branch, claiming the current shelter did not provide adequate services for the city's burgeoning homeless population.

"This is an important transition in our community. We recognize that some citizens have lost confidence in shelters," said Read.