The tragic fire in the Elm building at Rainbow Lodge on Wednesday raises many more questions than it answers.
Most people in Langley have little idea of just how vital the services provided by Rainbow Lodge are to the communitty — particularly Langley City. The massive facility has 587 units in six buildings, and all of them are there to house people on modest incomes, most of whom are seniors.
The type of housing it provides simply isn’t being built anymore, at least in any great numbers. It certainly isn’t being built in Langley.
While the provincial government has spent millions buying and fixing up older hotels in Vancouver’s downtown eastside neighbourhood, there hasn’t been a similar spending spree to house people in other parts of the province.
The fire occurred in a building that is 30 years old, and does not have sprinklers. Many residents are likely to be displaced for at least three weeks.
Rainbow Lodge was built over a period of about a dozen years or so, on a large plot of land adjacent to Langley Lodge. Langley Lodge was originally built to house low-income seniors and provide them meals — most did not have severe health issues.
Now the lodge deals with people with serious health challenges, and provides very specialized care.
Rainbow Lodge, on the other hand, was designed to provide housing units at a subsidized rental rate for people who could make their own meals and take care of themselves.
Over the years, its mandate has expanded so that people with disabilities and other issues can also live there.
Housing Minister Rich Coleman told me on Saturday that money is available to help upgrade facilities such as Rainbow Lodge, which is considered to be part of B.C.’s non-profit housing stock by the province. He said there have been upgrades to facilities in other communities.
While there has been a focus on the lack of sprinklers, it is important to note that the man who died, and those who were critically injured, were felled by smoke inhalation — not flames. Sprinklers are designed to put out fires, but don’t stop smoke.
Obviously, if a fire is doused quickly, there will be less smoke. A key issue in a place like Rainbow Lodge is that many residents aren’t very mobile. A number were rescued from balconies, as they simply could not get out of the building any other way.
Whether or not the remaining buildings at Rainbow Lodge get sprinklers likely isn’t the most important issue. What is most important is that this critical form of housing not disappear from Langley.
The cost of housing in the Lower Mainland is prohibitively expensive. Low-cost, subsidized housing is not widely available. In some areas, it is non-existent.
Langley is fortunate to have some, with much of it available at Rainbow Lodge. This facility is a vital and important element in our community.