Fund community safety, not displacement to nowhere in Surrey

In September, Surrey Union of Drug Users (SUDU) brought attention to the closure of Surrey’s only site where anyone from the public could shower and do laundry. The Cove’s Healthy Living Facility for Hygiene – known locally as “The Chill” – also provided a space for people to drop-in, have a coffee, charge their phones and get out of the elements. 

The Chill, which remained open for nearly two years, was funded by a one-time Union of BC Municipalities grant of $700,000, which was allowed to run out. 

The Chill closed while displacement to nowhere, seizures of personal belongings, and street sweeps in Surrey have seemingly increased.

This cycle of displacement and destabilization is a form of violence that stops people from a pathway out of homelessness, and leads to premature death, particularly during the endless toxic drug supply emergency.

In 2024, the two most expensive police forces in Surrey – the new Surrey Police Service and outgoing Surrey RCMP – is projected to cost the municipal budget approximately $490,000 per day. This does not account for bylaw officers, city engineering or Surrey’s contributions that end up with the Metro Vancouver Transit Police, nor the province’s budget items set aside for the endless sinkhole of the police RCMP-SPS transition. 

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