By Deanna Cheng

Special to The Post

Two 22-year-old university students are pushing back against the negative responses they have read in the media regarding a modular housing proposal in Richmond.

Joannie Fu and Vinson Shih created an online petition to support the modular housing project at 7300 Elmbridge Way. They both grew up in Richmond and their goal is to see city council pass the proposal.

Shih said, in an email, “The needs of people wanting to exit homelessness outweighs the interests of property owners who are already in positions of privilege and power.”

While both of them have volunteer experience serving food to vulnerable populations in Richmond, they were surprised by the extent of the need.

A BC Housing document addressed to the City of Richmond identified 70 homeless citizens in Richmond and 80 per cent of that have lived in the city for more than a year.

The petition responds to those who believe the housing should be built elsewhere.

“The modular supportive housing initiative seeks to help the 70 people within Richmond that lack a home,” it said. “To suggest housing be built elsewhere is irresponsible not only because it minimizes the toll of being dislocated, but diminishes the human worth of those experiencing homelessness.”

The two Taiwanese-Canadians also draw from their own experience as part of the immigrant community.

Shih said, “The immigrant community has experienced its own fair share of stigmatization, stereotyping and generalizations that resulted in exclusionary policies.”

He finds it necessary to be vigilant in recognizing human worth beyond visible differences.

In addition to Shih’s sentiments, Fu said it’s important to her due to her Christian faith and the values she was brought up with.

She said one of the most important commandments is for people to “love our neighbours as ourselves.”

The university student said, “There are no conditions in the love you are supposed to show your neighbours.”

Fu added that Jesus didn’t say to love your neighbours only if they are rich or if they live in houses, but as if your neighbours were yourselves.

Another position Fu takes is as a woman supporting other women, especially one with a sister currently attending middle school in Richmond.

“For women to escape the cycle of abuse, they need to be physically separated from their abuser and one of the basic ways this can happen is through providing safe shelter and housing for them,” she said.

A report from Richmond RCMP shows an upward trend of reported domestic violence cases, including intimate partner violence, from 2012 to 2016.

It also said the BC Coroners Service reported in 2016 that the majority of the victims in domestic violence deaths were women with a known history of intimate partner violence (78 per cent).

The city itself would also benefit from the housing initiative.

Having majors in both psychology, and criminology and socio-legal studies, Shih has learned homelessness often results in people committing “crimes of survival” such as eating a bag of chips in a convenience store without paying.

“When given the chance, nobody would willingly choose to remain in a state of deprivation and stigmatization,” he said. “It is important to realize that we are human beings first and everyone deserves to have a chance to get back up.”

He believes the housing initiative is a tiny step in the right direction.

Shih said, “Having a home is the most basic need that will help give people the necessary resources to reintegrate into the community and become financially independent.”

A report by Mental Health Commission of Canada said history has shown that many Canadians with mental illness benefit from being a community member and not trapped in institutions but they require additional support to thrive.

Housing is an important factor that stands out from the rest, it said.

When asked about public feedback, Fu and Shih said they have received mixed responses but overall, it has been positive.

Both Fu and Shih plan to move back to Richmond after they graduate from the University of Toronto and contribute positive change to their city. Shih heard how students in the Marpole community welcomed residents to the modular housing units there with welcome cards and care packages. He would like to do something similar with other organizations.

Deanna Cheng is a freelance journalist, copyeditor and researcher. Follow @writerly_dee