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Some residents in Vancouver’s Marpole neighbourhood are battling the city over a proposed 78-unit temporary housing project that is intended to put roofs over the heads of homeless people by early winter.

For Mike Burdick, what has the community “all riled up” is that the homes would be built across the street from a trio of schools and near an assisted living facility — and that’s without adequately consulting area residents first.

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When asked why he believed housing homeless people near schools was a problem, Burdick said it was due to the prevalence of mental illness among that population.

“Why would you subject a kindergarten, Grade 1, 2 and on up children to possible dangers with people walking around the community?” Burdick asked. “There doesn’t appear to be any kind of standards for security or safety. …”

It’s not that the residents don’t support housing homeless people, Burdick explained. They don’t support it on that block.