There’s a street in Whalley known as “The Strip” that’s a one-stop shop for practically any vice, and trafficking in drugs, sex and stolen goods is the norm.
“This block, you’ll find anything. This is the Downtown Eastside Vancouver of Surrey,” said Jeff Scherr, who has lived on and around 135A Street for eight years.
“It’s depressing, it’s isolating, it’s sad. A lot of times I wonder what I’m doing down here,” said Cece Clemah, a 29-year-old who struggles with heroin addiction and ended up on the street about a year ago.
The two blocks of 135A Street between 106th and 108th avenues has long been a place where people who are homeless and addicted to drugs have congregated, mostly because it is close to medical services, food and shelters, and drugs are readily available.
Over the past few weeks, however, those living, working and volunteering in the area have seen more people than usual on the street, and not just because of the warm weather.
Ron Moloughney, president of the Surrey Area Network of Substance Users, used to live on The Strip when he was addicted to drugs and alcohol. Clean for five years, he returns to the area nearly every day to offer help and information.
“This year we’ve noticed a big increase in the people living down there,” Moloughney said. “It seems to be getting worse as the years go by.”
A tent city with about 60 residents appeared in a vacant lot about three weeks ago. The city worked with outreach and partner organizations to come up with shelter and housing spaces, including setting up mats in an extreme weather shelter.
Jas Rehal, the city’s manager of bylaws and licensing services, said outreach workers connected with those in the tent city to offer shelter, housing and treatment options before bylaw officers and police shut down the camp. The camp lasted about four days, Rehal said, and was similar to ones that have appeared in the past.
Now, most of those people line the sidewalks along 135A Street or spend the night nearby. They set up their tents, shelters and sleeping areas every evening, and shortly after 8 a.m. each day bylaw officers and police show up to make sure people take down their structures and clear their belongings off the sidewalks for the day.
Often, that involves throwing unattended items into the back of a city truck for disposal. Scherr said he’s seen his friends in tears after their things have been taken.
“A lot of people, it’s their personal belongings and it means something to them,” Scherr said. “I try not to hold on to too much stuff now because I don’t have anything of sentimental value any more, so any time they grab my stuff and throw it out, then I just brush it off as a loss.”
Most people stick around during the day because they have nowhere else to go, which is a problem for local businesses and organizations that have to deal with break-ins, garbage and vandalism.
Tony Moore, president of the Whalley Legion, said he doesn’t bother calling the police any more. Over the years, the Legion has been hit by thieves who stole computers, a barbecue, items from people’s vehicles and even the flowers from flowerpots. People regularly urinate and defecate in the doorways. Moore has even caught someone urinating on the cenotaph in front of the Legion.
There have been similar issues at a nearby church and sports fields.
“I think our membership suffers because people are scared to come here,” he said. “It’s very disheartening, but then again where are you going to send them? I guess that’s the biggest problem.”
A lack of affordable, subsidized and supportive housing in Surrey and across the region appears to be the primary reason that the number of people living on and around 135A Street has increased.
“There’s a growing gap between the rich and poor, and it’s starting to show on our streets,” said Surrey Coun. Judy Villeneuve, who is also president of the Surrey Homelessness and Housing Society.
Moloughney said welfare and disability barely cover rent, leaving little money for living expenses. People on social assistance also have a hard time finding housing because landlords don’t want to rent to them.
Moloughney pointed out nearby commercial buildings and houses that are sitting empty and suggested making them available for housing the homeless, or at least setting aside a parcel of land for people to set up camp and get off the sidewalk in the short term.
“We’re busy building these highrises for people and not putting any money toward affordable housing,” he said.
Shayne Williams, executive director of Lookout Emergency Aid Society, said the shelter situation has improved in Surrey — though most shelters are running at or near capacity — but there is a lack of long-term supportive housing for people with addictions.
“That’s a part of the continuum that seems to be absent in Surrey,” Williams said.
Villeneuve said that during the past five or six years the city has worked to create shelter and housing options by providing land and fast-tracking the development process for projects that are funded by the provincial government and operated by non-profits. One example is the winter shelter that began operating in December and now is funded until April 2017.
Villeneuve said the city also recently approved rezoning for a new purpose-built shelter and transitional housing on the corner of 140th Street and Green Timbers Way.
“We are being as proactive as we can, working with organizations in our city,” Villeneuve said. “The city does not have the mandate or funding to build or buy or operate housing facilities and provide services. We’re having to stretch our budgets to meet the demand.”
She called on the provincial and federal governments to provide more funding and support.
People’s addictions keep them from getting off the street and tether them to the area because drug dealers have set up shop and many drug users want to stick together now because of the overdoses — most often related to fentanyl — that happen each day. If they are close to medical services and people who can administer naloxone injections, then they have a better chance of survival.
Scherr, who is addicted to heroin and meth, said he has overdosed 16 times this year. One woman said that she counted 15 overdoses on a particularly bad day. Everyone who lives in the area knows people who have died from an overdose.
Williams said social isolation is a problem for those who are homeless, so they tend to congregate in places where they can support each other.
“There’s a pretty strong community of folks there,” he said.
Tina Roulette, 48, has lived on 135A Street for almost two years after being evicted.
“This is the most safest place I’ve been,” Roulette said as she took a break from setting up her tent. “If I was out there on King George or somewhere I wouldn't feel safe, but right here I feel safe.
“These people, so what if they do drugs? They're still human, they still have hearts.”
Many of the people who are in the neighbourhood during the day are housed, said Williams. Some used to live on the street and come to visit friends and use services, but others are working poor who need extra help to keep their heads above water.
Erin Schulte has run the Pop Up Soup Kitchen, which provides necessities and healthy snacks two or three nights per week and meals every second Sunday, for just over two years.
Schulte has noticed that the number of homeless people has increased, along with the number of people who are “living on the edge.”
“There are a lot of hurting people down here,” she said.
Schulte said onus to help does not rest solely on governments.
“I think it's everybody's issue. All of these people are related to somebody. These are some people's kids — these are people you grew up with — there's a good chance you know somebody that's down here on this street, or has been,” she said.
“If everybody just did something to make a difference, then maybe we wouldn't have this street.”