It wasn’t quite a unanimous vote on Monday night.

“All those in favour, all those opposed? Carried – with Councillors Loo and Heed opposed,” said Mayor of Richmond, Malcom Brodie at Monday’s council meeting.

Richmond City Council voted to extend a temporary use permit for a supportive housing complex in the city for an additional three years.

“I think it’s incumbent upon the city to do what we can,” said Brodie.

Aster Place has been operating as a temporary 40-unit modular housing development since 2022, helping transition people out of homelessness into stable housing.

But the project hasn’t come without some controversy, as people protested the extension before the vote.

“I feel like my neighbourhood is a lot less safe than the neighbourhood was when I moved in,” said Donghi Wang, a north Richmond resident.

Sheldon Starrett, who is running for Mayor in the upcoming Richmond election, claims that Aster Place, along with Alderbridge, another supportive housing facility in the city, have brought concerns around safety in the community to the forefront.  

“These low barrier supportive housing sites have caused disorder, open-drug use, crime, vandalism and break-and-enters, even incidents of assault,” said Starrett. 

While Brodie acknowledges that the situation isn’t perfect and says work will continue to address the concerns being raised by the public, he says there is still a need to help those most vulnerable.    

“The people who are housed there, for the most part, their option is to live on the street, and I believe it’s in our interest and their interest to have them off the street and in this supportive housing,” said Brodie.

Some long-time residents like Keefer Pelech, who is also running for council this year, echoed that feeling. Speaking at the council meeting in favour of the extension.

“We‘ve heard from a lot of residents who are concerned about encampment and about the visible homeless population; closing Aster Place will have the opposite effect they are hoping for: it will grow that population immediately,” said Pelech.

The current temporary use permit was set to expire in March 2027. This extension will allow the facility to continue to operate until 2030.