Dozens of women will soon have a safe, warm place to live with the opening of Mazarine Lodge in Queensborough.
Located at 838 Ewen Ave., the three-storey, wood-frame modular apartment building has 44 self-contained units. The project includes round-the-clock care and aims to help women in the community who are experiencing homelessness.
"Everyone deserves a good, safe place to call home," said New Westminster MLA Judy Darcy in a press release. "We're proud to be working with our partners to create homes like these for women in need that will help them stabilize their lives and build a better future. When we come together and support one another, we build a safer and healthier community for everyone."
Each of the 44 units has a private washroom and mini kitchen. Residents will have access to shared amenities, such as a laundry room, commercial kitchen and a dining lounge area where they can enjoy meals together, as well as a medical room that will provide on-site care for residents.
"This project will provide hope and a brighter future for women experiencing homelessness in New Westminster," said New Westminster’s acting mayor, Patrick Johnstone. "It is an example of what can be achieved when we collectively work together to tackle complex and pervasive issues such as homelessness. The City of New Westminster is looking at future collaborative projects to ensure that everyone has a home that they can call their own and a neighbourhood in which they can feel a sense of belonging and inclusion."
The Elizabeth Fry Society, a New West-based non-profit, will oversee the day-to-day management of the building and will provide residents with support services, including daily meals, life-skills education, nutrition management, access to volunteer and employment opportunities and wellness supports. At least two staff members will be on site 24-7.
"Supportive housing projects like Mazarine Lodge provide homeless women with the opportunity to be treated with dignity and to build brighter futures," said Shawn Bayes, executive director, Elizabeth Fry Society of Greater Vancouver. "We are pleased to offer women access to the supports they need to take on the challenges they face in their lives."
The grand opening of Mazarine Lodge took place on Aug. 14, with residents set to start moving into the building in early September.
In June 2018, New Westminster city council unanimously supported the modular housing project for homeless women. About 100 people spoke at an emotionally charged, six-hour public hearing, where supporters urged council to support a project providing much-needed housing for homeless women and opponents voiced concerns about placing the project on a site frequented by children because its next to schools, the community centre and a playground.
Construction of the project got underway in July 2019. In April 2020, council granted an exemption to the city’s construction noise bylaw so work could be done on the site on Sundays – allowing the project to remain on schedule at a time when staffing levels were reduced because of COVID-19 pandemic staffing restrictions.
According to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, all new modular housing buildings in B.C. have round-the-clock staffing to help residents who are in critical need of housing.
