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More mental health services and peer support for homeless people are coming to Port Coquitlam and Port Moody through a new provincial investment.
Both communities are receiving a combined $877,297 to expand on services and supports for those most vulnerable.
The money is earmarked for the Strengthening Homeless Services for the Tri-Cities project, which hopes to add more evening outreach, peer support and mental health services.
"People in the Tri-Cities take pride in making our community a better place to live for everyone," said Mike Farnworth, Port Coquitlam MLA, B.C. deputy premier, solicitor general and public safety minister, in a release sent to the Tri-City News.
"For too long people experiencing homelessness were overlooked but together with local governments, we are working to get people the services and supports they need."
The money could also help expand shelter availability during extreme weather events so those impacted have a place to go to beat the heat and seek relief from rain or snow.
"Amazing work is being done around the Tri-Cities to ensure that our most vulnerable community members are supported," said Port Moody–Coquitlam MLA Rick Glumac in the same statement.
"It's exciting to see the progress being made and the difference it makes to not only individuals but our communities at large."
Port Coquitlam and Port Moody are two of 44 B.C. communities — municipalities and modern Treaty Nations — part of a $15-million total investment to address the needs of unhoused people to help keep them safe and healthy.
B.C. is investing the funds through the second intake of its Strengthening Communities' Services Program, which distributed $76 million in 2021.
For more information about the program, you can visit the Union of BC Municipalities' (UBCM) website.
