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In the first six months after three modular housing complexes opened last year in Surrey, property crime in the area decreased significantly, according to RCMP statistics.

Property crime — which includes theft, mischief and burglaries — went down by nearly 12 per cent after the housing opened in June 2018, compared to the first six months of that year.

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“There has been a drastic decrease in violent crimes and break-ins in the area and I think you would see very few people looking for housing,” said Bailey Mumford, a director of the Lookout Society.

The Lookout Society operates the three temporary structures in the Whalley-City Centre neighbourhood that replaced a homeless camp on 135A Street in Surrey. More than 160 people were moved out of the camp and many of them now live in the 161 modular housing units in the neighbourhood.

Shayne Williams, CEO of the Lookout Society, said modular housing has helped bring stability to the lives of tenants, which has contributed to less crime in the area.