This is part two in a three-part series that will look at the promise of revitalization in downtown Chilliwack. Part one looked at one particular condominium development downtown and the false hope of transformation carried with it (see www.chilliwacktimes.com). Part three will take a look to the future at some signs of life downtown.

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At Five Corners in the heart of Chilliwack one can stroll past boutique shops or browse through an array of used books on Wellington. One doesn't have to go too far to get tasty Pad Thai or soul food or a martini that would do the Brat Pack proud.

There is, however, another downtown Chilliwack. On one stretch of Yale Road east of Five Corners, the block contains empty storefronts, a couple of pawn brokers, a cash advance place. A sign on a walk-in clinic says "Closed permanently."

Just around the corner stands the faded Tudor facade of the once-proud Empress with its "for sale" sign. Across the street a former credit union sits empty, again up for grabs. A few blocks away sits the abandoned Safeway building.

There are a few signs of life such as the old marquee of the Paramount, still a testament to the downtown's past, but there are stretches that can hardly be called thriving real estate. There are still many merchants in the core, and the Downtown Business Improvement Association backs various security initiatives as well as social events such as Party in the Park or the annual Christmas parade, set for Dec. 5.

In recent years though, the core of the city has experienced problems one might expect on the Downtown Eastside in Vancouver. To some degree, the downtown's black eye is undeserved or over-simplified, as problems surrounding drugs and prostitution can happen anywhere in the city. It's hard to ignore the inter-related issues of housing, crime, narcotics, prostitution and mental illness though, and if they weren't unthinkable in downtown Chilliwack a generation ago, there were certainly less conspicuous.

"I think it's been the same issues for a little while," says Tim Bohr, associate pastor and community relations coordinator for the Salvation Army. "Those still are the main issues, and they're inter-related."

There are also community groups and individuals who are working to combat some of the problems. For example, for a number of years people in need have been able to congregate at places like Ruth and Naomi's Mission. They offer people showers, laundry, clothing and blankets, hygiene packs and other necessities, as well as meals. Ted Stoker, the director of street ministry for Ruth and Naomi's, says when they opened their doors almost eight years ago, they would serve meals to a handful of people. Now, they sometimes feed 130 or so most nights.

"We're seeing a lot more, with the economic system going the way it is," he says. "We're dealing a lot more with the working poor, plus we're dealing with our regular homeless."

Soroptimists hope to help prostitutes

Perhaps nothing stands out more as an example of the problems downtown as the sight of young women, even girls, working street corners. Heather Rollins of the Chilliwack Soroptimists, the local chapter of the international organization of business and professional women, says these women and girls become victims of the men that exploit them for money and who get them hooked on drugs.

"There's predators getting them addicted, on drugs and exploiting them to make money," she says. "In this community, that shouldn't be acceptable."

The Soroptimists have met with police and youth workers to help them understand the issue. As well, their estimates from regional health officials suggest as many as 300 women and girls are working in the sex trade, and of these, 80 per cent come from this community. On an international level, the Soroptimists work to stop the exploitation of women and girls, Rollins says, and they want to do the same in Chilliwack, possibly establishing some kind of place or transition house where the women and girls can come, even just to have a coffee, as a stepping stone to a better life.

"We, as a group, would like to make a difference," she says.

One development many would like to see downtown is a greater mix of residential and business so Chilliwack won't turn into a doughnut city--empty in the middle--when the work day ends. But even with more residential mixed in, problems won't necessarily end, as the case with the New Mark buildings has shown. (See the Times, Friday, Nov. 20.) One program that has proven successful in recent years is the Crime-Free Multi-Housing Program, at places such as the Lanai Apartments, a small apartment block west of downtown with a long list of long-time residents. The program is designed for multi-family residential developments that want to be certified as crime-free. This means everything from better tenant screening, landscaping and measures to improve visibility, adding deadbolts and even holding parties. These, in effect, make a building community within a community. In all, 10 buildings have finished all three phases, five are in the third phase and 35 are in the second phase.

Buildings like the Lanai have proven successful, but others still present problems. However, for some people the key question is how to get any kind of housing. As Ruth and Naomi's Stoker says, there is a need for more social housing in the city. He says many homeless people are no longer hiding out downtown but have moved to places farther afield, though he cannot divulge where.

"They have their spots," he adds.

'HEALTH CONTACT CENTRE' ON THE HORIZON

Whether it's housing or any other initiative, one obstacle is always money, says the Salvation Army's Bohr. Another is the spreading or duplication of efforts, but there is a development on the horizon called a "health contact centre" that aims to overcome this. Coun. Diane Janzen chairs a city subcommittee working on the centre and says there is now a business plan in place because of the efforts of the 25 key partners such as the BIA, the school district, the Fraser Health Authority, Chilliwack General Hospital, aboriginal groups, the Salvation Army, Ruth and Naomi's, Chilliwack Community Services and others. The centre will act as a "one-stop shopping" site for people with addictions or mental health issues. It would include a dozen emergency beds and 48 transitional beds, something that could take on greater importance in light of the recent announcement of the closure of the detox unit at the hospital. There are still details to work out, such as where it will be.

"What we are doing right now is working with BC Housing," Janzen says. "We think that the housing is the first step, but it's not the only step."

Ultimately, what will result is a place where the people facing addictions or mental health issues can come to get help under one roof instead of having to be redirected from one office to another.

"I think what's being recognized is that the revolving door model is not a good model," Janzen says. "We really have to turn our attention to social issues. . . .They're not going to fix themselves."

Again, crime, drug addiction and related issues can affect all parts of the city, but downtown they become magnified. One good place to get a sense of the downtown's pulse is the offices of the Chilliwack Community Policing Services on Wellington Avenue, at its current site since September 2006.

As Cpl. Len Van Nieuwenhuizen makes clear, a lot of work and many volunteer hours make the small office function. It is home to a number of programs including Block Watch, Speed Watch, Crime Stoppers and Citizens on Patrol. There is another program called Social Chronics targeting people with mental health or addiction issues that commit crimes, but because these might be less serious offences; the people do not fall under prolific offender programming. Van Nieuwenhuizen describes it as more of an intervention program rather than enforcement.

He sums up much of what they do with a statement that underlies programs such as Crime-Free Multi-Housing, which also operates out of the office.

"That's the crux of crime prevention and community policing--for people to take ownership of their neighbourhoods," he says.

He is optimistic about ideas like the health contact centre, which should help take some of the burden off law enforcement and get people the help they need.

"In the past, police have been in the role of social worker; and we just don't have the resources," he says.

Centred close to the heart of downtown, Van Nieuwenhuizen, the staff and volunteers see first-hand many of the problems of downtown. Van Nieuwenhuizen says the area does have its own specific challenges, but these hardly make Chilliwack unique when compared with other growing cities.

"These are the problems we're encountering for the first time as a big city," he says.

Even with all the efforts of community groups, the one thing that must not be discounted in any talk of the future of downtown Chilliwack is the business community. The days when a store like Eaton's served as a retail hub for the city are long gone, but if Chilliwack's heart is to keep beating, much will depend on people like the merchants that line the avenue outside the Community Policing Office.

"I think Wellington," says Van Nieuwenhuizen, "has great potential to be that rejuvenated core."