Her son's body lay in a supportive housing building for 3 days. Years later, she says little has changed

Michelle Ghoussoub · CBC News

· Posted: May 15, 2025 7:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Shawn Richards died astatine the property of 37 aft ingesting toxic drugs successful the country of a supportive lodging gathering wherever helium was surviving successful 2017. It took 3 days for unit to find his body.

Shawn's mother, Cyndie Richards, was already haunted by the information that her son's lifeless assemblage laic down a locked doorway for truthful long.

But Richards says learning astir the aforesaid happening happened to Diane Chandler 7 years aboriginal "chilled her to the bone."

She says aft Shawn's death, a manager astatine RainCity promised her that arsenic a effect of the mistake, wellness checks connected tenants successful the installation would beryllium performed every eight to 12 hours, alternatively of each 24. 

"I conscionable thought, 'Oh my god, you haven't done anything, and you promised maine you would,'" she said.

Richards and Chandler's 2 children accidental the hold successful uncovering their loved ones' bodies reveals gaps successful B.C.'s supportive lodging systems, and the dangers of utilizing drugs down closed doors successful facilities meant to assistance those struggling with intelligence wellness and addiction. 

"I didn't marque a large country astatine the time; I took them astatine their connection [that] a horrendous mistake had been made ... And past to find this indignity was done," said Richards.

In a statement, B.C. Housing said, "We are profoundly saddened by immoderate nonaccomplishment of beingness and widen our condolences to the household and friends of this individual. The information of residents is ever our apical priority. "

The connection said successful 2017, B.C. Housing "strengthened requirements successful operating agreements for providers to verify nonmigratory information erstwhile residents had not been seen for an extended play of time, not exceeding 48 hours."

RainCity Housing did not respond to a CBC News petition for comment.

Richards said the testimonies of Chandler's 2 children brought backmost vivid memories of her ain son's assemblage being found, precisely seven years earlier.

"Now they person to person the heartache similar I did of knowing that my son's lifeless assemblage laic determination without idiosyncratic coming to instrumentality his assemblage away, letting his household know," she said. 

"It's conscionable unbearable."

Chandler, who had agelong suffered slump and addiction, died on April 20th in the Foxglove analyzable lodging installation successful Surrey in 2024.

A CBC News probe revealed it took 11 days for her to beryllium found, though unit had signed disconnected connected wellness checks saying she was alive.

Emails betwixt B.C. Housing unit revealed unit members who thought they had seen Chandler had mixed her up with different tenant. It wasn't until May 1 that unit would find Chandler and the tenant they had mistaken for her, some dormant successful their rooms. 

Shawn Richards had been surviving successful Princess Rooms, a RainCity facility on Powell Street successful Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, and visited his parent astatine her workplace connected a play basis.

Richards described him as a comic and fashionable kid who excelled successful each athletics helium tried. He fell into addiction successful his aboriginal 20s arsenic helium struggled with his intelligence health.

The RainCity lodging website describes Princess Rooms arsenic a "transitional lodging programme focused connected providing a safe, supportive housing situation for individuals with agelong histories of homelessness."

A transcript of his coroner's report, which has been reviewed by CBC News, says helium was past seen live connected April 28, 2017. He was recovered connected May 1, and the coroner concluded helium apt died connected April 29.

Richards said soon aft her son's death, she was told an worker didn't unfastened the doorway to cheque connected Shawn earlier due to the fact that they were worried astir what they might find. She has small different accusation astir wherefore days passed without anyone from RainCity checking connected Shawn.

Changes implemented anterior to Chandler's death

In effect to the CBC News communicative astir Chandler's death, B.C. Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon said the state has implemented changes that allow supportive lodging operators to participate tenants' rooms "as a mode to corroborate their health, well-being and safety."

Those changes were implemented successful January 2024, 4 months anterior to Chandler's death. 

Across supportive lodging successful B.C., the frequence of wellness checks varies site to tract depending connected the level of attraction provided and the needs of individuals surviving connected site.

Kahlon said portion the incidental involving Chandler was "unacceptable," supportive lodging facilities successful the state proceed to prevention lives.

"If we don't person these sites, radical are sleeping successful parks and successful encampments, and they're successful a mode much unsafe situation for themselves and for the public, truthful we're trying to conscionable radical wherever they request the supports," helium said.

But Richards said she sometimes wonders whether the thoroughfare mightiness person been a safer spot for her lad to use, alternatively than down a locked door. 

"My fearfulness arsenic a parent is that I fought truthful hard for him to get into this, and if Shawn had been connected the street, helium astir apt would beryllium live due to the fact that determination would beryllium idiosyncratic determination that would person fixed him Narcan."