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Early berry blooms run risk of crash crop Jeff Nagel Black Press
The 2014 Homelessness Survey shows a 34 per cent drop in Chilliwack’s homeless population since 2011. JENNA HAUCK/ PROGRESS FILE
Fewer homeless in Chilliwack; youth still a concern Jennifer Feinberg The Progress Concerted efforts to bring people off the streets in Chilliwack is slowly starting to work. The 2014 Homelessness Survey report was presented at the Fraser Valley Regional District meeting Tuesday, showing a decrease of 34 per cent for Chilliwack’s homeless population. There were 111 homeless enumerated in Chilliwack during the 2011 count, but that number dropped to 73 in 2014. “This report is positive for Chilliwack and demonstrates that, although we still have a ways to go, we are making progress in addressing the complex variety of issues that result in homelessness,” said Mayor Sharon Gaetz.
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Stage Residence (26 beds); The Village on School Street (24 units); Health and Housing Contact Centre (22 beds). The mayor points to the consistently collaborative effort in Chilliwack for any success they’re seeing, but adds that the high proportion of homeless youth uncovered in the survey is still a big concern. “We’re very happy Cyrus Centre has opened its youth shelter,” she noted. “But I still think there is more we need to be doing.” One of the major obstacles for city reps is that homelessness is not technically in the city purview, rather it’s a provincial or federal issue, Gaetz said. But stakeholders have been networking for years on the issue of affordable housing, and city officials try to leverage support,
and help in any way they can. Studies dating back to 2004, 2008 and 2011 show that the various Chilliwack area programs offering shelter beds, both subsidized and supportive housing are slowly making a big difference. Multi barrier issues of the homeless, from addictions and mental illness to chronic health conditions are an ongoing challenge. The report recommends that cities adopt the ‘Housing First’ model, focused on evidence based solutions that can create more permanent as well as second stage housing. It’s more of an integrated approach with extra support services provided in addition to housing. It’s also recognition that shelters on their own might not do the trick, and Continued: HOMELESS/ p12
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When volunteers combed the bushes and backstreets of Chilliwack during the 2014 count, they found 38 fewer people self-identifying as homeless than the last time, according to FVRD numbers. Chilliwack was the only community aside from Hope in the region to see a decrease in its homeless numbers last year — something not lost on Mayor Gaetz. “Affordable housing is an opportunity the City of Chilliwack has been diligently working on for over 14 years, starting with our Downtown Social Issues Action Plan in 2001,” she said. In the past decade, Chilliwack has built up its capacity to house the homeless: Cyrus Centre (8 youth beds); Ruth and Naomi’s Mission - Emergency shelter (15‐20 beds); First and Second
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Blueberry fields in the Fraser Valley are already beginning to bloom thanks to a warm winter but farmers are worried the early start could spell trouble for the crop. Jason Smith, a blueberry farmer and chair of the B.C. Blueberry Council, said buds on many blueberry plants have begun to open, putting the season about two to three weeks ahead of normal, depending on the species and location. “I haven’t seen it this early for quite a number of years,” Smith said, adding plants are now at a stage that typically wouldn’t be expected until mid-March. Cold weather could still return to the Lower Mainland and damage the tender buds while they’re vulnerable, so farmers have their fingers crossed for continued mild weather and a healthy, early crop. “We certainly wouldn’t want to see a cold snap with moderate to strong winds at this point,” Smith said. “We can have snow into March. So there’s definitely a risk.” Chilliwack-area blueberry farms appear to be a bit ahead of Abbotsford ones, he said, while plants in the Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge area appear furthest behind. Another question mark is whether bees will be active enough to pollinate the crop during the critical three to four days when blueberry flowers are open. “Those bees don’t fly unless it’s 15 or 16 degrees out,” Smith said. “And if there’s strong winds they’re not going to want to fly too far from the hive either.” Many growers rent honeybee hives because blueberries require insect pollination. He noted a lot can change through the season. Last year a mild spring had growers preparing to harvest two weeks early but then cooler weather in May and June pushed it back to normal. The Lower Mainland blueberry industry produced 68 million kilograms of fruit last year from 800 farms covering 11,000 hectares.