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Emergency response centre adjusts after 'several incidents'

New Westminster police will be doing morning patrols and working closing with security at the emergency response centre at the Massey complex.
Emergency response centre
A bed and a nightstand are featured in new pods that now provide temporary homes for homeless individuals in New West. The emergency response centre is part of a plan to help minimize the spread of COVID-19.

New Westminster police will be doing morning patrols and working closing with security at the emergency response centre at the Massey complex.

A May 25 report to city council from the vulnerable and at risk population’s task force stated that the centre opened in the Massey complex on May 11. Along with providing 40 pods, which include a bed and dresser where people can self-isolate, the ERC provides supports services such as overdose prevention space and health services.

John Stark, the city’s supervisor of community planning, said the report to council referenced “several incidents” that had been reported to BC Housing, Lookout Housing and Health Society (which operates the ERC) and the New Westminster school district (which owns the building). He said they’ve met to address concerns and setup protocols and procedures for moving forward.

“I don’t think these would be unusual anytime you are setting up a new program,” he said of the incidents. “Some of the incidents, there was someone who was being very loud within the courtyard, which is there for smoking. “

Stark said there is now better coordination in place between the private security, which is onsite 24-7, Lookout staff and city staff, so everyone is on the same page.

“A new piece to this is that our own police department now has an outreach function, which is two officers … who will be able to come out, be more responsive; do a check in the morning, be able to come back in the afternoon,” he said. “I think the incidents are probably characteristic to any program that is being set up and just trying to ensure that there are proper lines of communication and protocols in place. I think all of that is being put in place. So hopefully moving forward we can avoid such situations.”

A Lookout spokesperson could not be reached for comment by the Record’s deadline.

Most recent figures indicated 13 of the 40 spaces at the emergency operations centre that’s been set up in the Massey gym were occupied, with most of those guests having been transferred from the Cliff Block’s temporary accommodations in Downtown New West. While that space is used for the extreme weather response program, fewer spaces were available than what’s required because of the need to provide physical distancing between guests.

Stark said there were some issues with the referral process, but steps have been taken to address those concerns.

“So, while the numbers have been 13 for about a week or so, we are anticipating more placements moving forward,” he told council. “Really, the difficulty was around the screening process and just around the availability of Fraser Health staff.”

Stark explained that individuals have to be screened by Fraser Health before being placed in the emergency response centre.

“The challenge that we are having right now is, say, if a bylaw enforcement officer or a police patrol member comes across someone that is homeless, the way it was originally set up they would have to do a two-page online referral. That would be sent to Fraser Health. That created the first challenge – actually doing that online referral, particularly if you don’t have access to a laptop,” he said.

Another challenge, said Stark, was that once a referral was sent to Fraser Health, someone had to review it and send someone out to do the screening. He said that was problematic because a referral on could be sent in on Monday, but someone may not be able to do the screening until Tuesday – and the person may have moved on by that time.

“There is a phone number now that will be given to bylaw enforcement and to our police patrol members. They will be able to make that phone call. They can do the online form verbally, and Fraser Health is looking at having a more responsive screening process, where someone can come out and meet that individual where they are,” he said of the new process. “BC Housing will be providing the taxi voucher if that person is deemed not to be symptomatic to get them to the emergency response centre.”

Earlier this month, BC Housing told the Record its two-month licence agreement with the school district allows the centre to operate until the end of June.

At Tuesday’s school board meeting, the New Westminster board of education received a letter from New West resident Paul Johansen regarding concerns about operating the emergency response centre on the high school site and questions about consultation with parents and legislation permitting the centre to open at the Massey complex.

In an email to Johansen, the school district’s communications manager stated the board’s policy dealing with pandemic responses gives the superintendent the authority to make decisions in relation to crisis responses. In his email to the school district, Johansen included a photo he’d been sent of two ambulances parked outside the Massey gym.

“As such, there was no consultation done. But we certainly made sure to inform the DPAC of the plans, and with other stakeholder groups, to help keep them in the loop about what was happening,” said Kristen Keighley-Wight in an emailed response to Johansen. “When it comes to the legislation that led to the establishment of the temporary emergency response centre, it was a combination of the state of emergency issued by the provincial government (under order of Mike Farnworth, minister of public safety) and the Emergency Program Act that was under that call.”

In a May 8 email, secretary-treasurer Bettina Ketcham informed parents and students at New Westminster Secondary School about the plan to open a temporary emergency operations centre at the Massey complex in an effort to support vulnerable people in the community.