A dozen residents of a White Rock mental health housing center scheduled to close next summer are about to lose not only their home, but their support system and community, says the center’s owner.
Buena Vista Lodge, which has offered mental health treatment to people in White Rock for more than 50 years through 12 beds funded by the Fraser Health Authority, will close next June due to lack of funding, according to its current owners.
On October 5, Buena Vista Lodge received a letter from the FHA informing them of the decision, which came after the current owners decided to sell the facility.
The budget for the mental health space had been steadily declining, making it difficult for the owners, one of whom has been with Buena Vista Lodge for more than 20 years, to continue.
“We cannot afford to do this. For the last year, we have been putting money out of my own pocket to support this group,” explained the owner, who asked not to be identified.
The situation was not tenable, so they decided to lease the building and found a match that they believe are the best candidates for the job: people who have experience in the field and are “interested in working with the new budget.”
However, when they informed Fraser Health of the plan to switch carriers and provided a one-year notice, they were sent an email stating that they would not receive any more money once the current contract expired.
“You have been a caring vendor and provided excellent service to customers on site,” the letter says.
“However, the process we have undertaken for bed replacement has dedicated our resources to other projects. Please inform prospective tenants of the space that, at this time, we are unable to negotiate an MHSU (mental health and substance use) services contract with them.”
Staff members informed Buena Vista Lodge residents of the health authority’s decision.
“Some of them have been here 27, 28 years. The (newest) one we have here has been here probably 17 years. Like, everybody’s been here forever. This is your house, this is your community,” said the owner.
Residents, whom facility owners describe as “family,” have not reacted well to the news that they will have to move out in a few months, they said.
“Do you want to pick them up and put them in a different community? I guarantee you there will be some kind of loss (of life) at some point,” she said.
“Should people end up on the streets because of this?…They are here for a reason and this is not helping them…we are seeing an increase in paranoia and anxiety (and) behavior problems. ”
The biggest concern is where the residents of Buena Vista Lodge will go.
In 2018, Good Shepherd Lodge, a similar White Rock facility but with 30 beds, also funded through Fraser Health, was closed. Fraser Health noted that in that situation, too, it was the owners who “initiated their closing.”
With the closure of Good Shepherd Lodge, rehousing options in South Surrey and White Rock are slim, the Buena Vista owner said.
They reached out to Surrey-White Rock Liberal MLA Trevor Halford for support in their fight to keep their doors open. Halford addressed the issue in the legislature on Tuesday, November 1.
“Why is this minister cutting beds in the middle of a mental health crisis?” Halford challenged the Minister for Mental Health and Addictions, Sheila Malcolmson.
“There are 12 beds that are leaving the community, without any explanation.”
“I welcome the member to let me know any details about the facility you describe,” Malcomson replied.
Halford, in turn, called it a “problem” that the minister did not already know about Buena Vista Lodge.
“In every health authority, we have opened more addiction treatment and recovery beds, more mental health beds than ever before in the history of the province,” Malcolmson replied.
In a statement to SKILLET on Wednesday (Nov 2), a Fraser Health representative reiterated that the closure of the Buena Vista Lodge was not a decision by the health authority.
“I can tell you that the owner of the Buena Vista Lodge, a private facility, has notified Fraser Health that he intends to close the site. The owners indicated that he decided to terminate their service contracts,” the representative said.
“Fraser Health met with the owner to discuss their concerns and possible mitigation strategies to avoid closure. However, the owner was adamant about his decision. We have been in ongoing discussions with the owner to ensure he is supported through the end of the notice period.”
In response to concerns about where residents will go and how far they will have to move from their families, Fraser Health said a plan is in place.
“Over the next year, Fraser Health will work with all residents and their families at the facility to ensure proper transition plans to new homes are in place and residents continue to receive the supports and services they need. We are committed to reinvesting these funds in new bed-based mental health programs in our region and are working closely with our partners to identify optimal locations,” the representative continued.
“While Fraser Health does not have plans to close any mental health and substance use bed-based programs in our region, in instances where a contracted provider decides to close a residence, we will work with the provider to ensure that appropriate procedures are implemented. appropriate transition plans. for all residents and that they have continued access to the supports they need.”
A petition has been started to stop the closure of Buena Vista Lodge. So far, it has received nearly 300 signatures.
“Just show me a new facility is being built in White Rock if there’s a problem with us…Most of their families live in the neighborhood. There isn’t a single person here who doesn’t get a weekly visit from family,” said the Buena Vista owner.
By having their families close by, Buena Vista Lodge residents have improved their mental health over time. This situation threatens to derail that progress, they said.
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