An East Vancouver neighbourhood group has formed to throw its support behind a planned mental-health facility on East Hastings Street.

Neighbours for Mental Health on East Hastings Street already has over 60 members, according to Wall Street resident John Lynn.

"We were a group of 12 when we had our first meeting [August 9]," Lynn told the Straight by phone.

The city development-permit board must still approve the proposed facility. Meanwhile, another group is already opposed to the three-storey facility, planned for 2750 East Hastings Street.

Lynn claimed that the other group, Advocates for Hastings Sunrise–led by Hastings Sunrise resident George Robinson, Barry Sharbo, and 2005 independent mayoral candidate James Green–has misled the public.

"They have said that it is a treatment centre, and it is not," Lynn said by phone. "They have suggested it will soon have a needle exchange, that it will offer detoxification programs, that it will be a drug-injection site, and that it will offer addiction services and methadone programs. All of that is untrue."

Lynn said he believes Robinson's group is "spreading fear among some of the most vulnerable and fearful people in our community", including the elderly and recent immigrants. Robinson told the Straight that Lynn is "arbitrarily wrong", and claims to have a petition signed by 2,000 residents.

"We have supported every meeting we have had with data, not supposition and not NIMBY claims," Robinson said. "We are just trying to make sure the message is clear and that we have been consulted before they put this megafacility in."

Vancouver Coastal Health will occupy the top two floors of the proposed facility, offering programs that deal mainly with children, families, and seniors. The ground floor will house a Shoppers Drug Mart.

It will also house the Northeast Mental Health Team, which will serve clients living in an area roughly bounded by Boundary Road, Commercial Drive, Commissioner Street, and East 41st Avenue.

On June 21, Robinson chaired a fractious meeting at Hastings Community Centre that came close to disintegrating into a yelling match. In a notice to neighbours ahead of the June meeting, AHS wrote that the facility should be located at an alternate site, such as Renfrew and East 12th Avenue, close to the Renfrew SkyTrain station.

Brenda Tombs, constituency assistant to Vancouver-Hastings NDP MLA Shane Simpson, told the Straight that Simpson "supports the proposal" but is not in any way affiliated with Neighbours for Mental Health on East Hastings Street.