Surrey – The Baird Blackstone Building has officially opened its doors in Guildford, thanks to a partnership between the Province, City of Surrey and the Lookout Housing and Health Society. This new supportive housing building offers 61 air-conditioned studio apartment units to people experiencing, or at-risk of, homelessness in the community.Baird Blackstone offers 24-7 support services such as meal programs and health and wellness supports, as well as a commercial kitchen, dining and lounge areas, storage and amenity space, and laundry and medical rooms. The building will be operated by the Lookout Housing and Health Society, which has also been managing a year-round shelter adjacent to the site since 2017.
“Council is committed to ending the cycle of homelessness in our city, and that is why we were proud to provide the land for this project, valued at $1.3 million,” said Mayor Doug McCallum. “I’d like to thank the Province and the Lookout Society in their partnership in making this project a reality, as we work to ensure that everyone has a dignified place to call home.”
The Province, through BC Housing, provided approximately $16 million to the project through the Homelessness Action Plan and will provide an annual operating subsidy of $1.1 million.
“These new homes with supports will give people experiencing homelessness in Surrey the chance to make a lasting change in their lives,” said Garry Begg, MLA for Surrey-Guildford. “We’re proud to work with partners like the City of Surrey to build more homes like these so that their benefits can extend to both residents and the surrounding community.”
“Lookout Society is excited to operate the new Baird Blackstone Building that will provide safe and affordable homes for some of Surrey’s most vulnerable individuals,” said Shayne Williams, CEO of Lookout Housing and Health Society. “This supportive housing will offer tenants the opportunity to build stability and improve their quality of life. We thank the Province of BC, BC Housing and the City of Surrey for their leadership in making this supportive housing possible.”
The Baird Blackstone Building is the third supportive housing project in Surrey that has been opened so far in 2021 and is part of a commitment between the Province and the City of Surrey to deliver 250 permanent supportive modular homes to replace the temporary sites in the community. In addition, another supportive housing building, Green Timbers, is expected to open this fall, while the Rosewood in Whalley is anticipated to be completed in spring 2022. In partnership with the Government of Canada, the Province and Atira Women’s Resource Society, a 44-unit housing project is under development, offering secure housing for women. Located in North Surrey, this housing project will open in March 2022.
