Vancouver social housing concerns in Kits addressed by advocates

Wednesday night marks round two of a notable public hearing at Vancouver city hall over a proposed social housing development in Kitsilano.

A number of residents have expressed concern about the development — but advocates say there shouldn’t be much to worry about.

The city has received over a 1,000 pieces of correspondence in opposition to the 13-storey, 129-unit social housing building proposed for W 7th Avenue and Arbutus.

Karen Finnan, a 30-year resident of the neighbourhood, says their problem isn’t the social housing itself — it’s the size of it.

“Science research is clear that the congregate model of housing, particularly on this kind of scale, is a failure,” she told CityNews.

“There already is a lot of supportive and social housing in Kitsilano, but you never hear about it because it’s done on a small scale and it’s done properly.

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Finnan says they’d rather see a smaller building — between 40 and 50 units — built in place of what’s being proposed.

“As we’ve been told by supportive housing operators, the more people you have on-site, the more likely it is that problems are going to arise.”

She and others have also expressed safety concerns, noting the project is slated for an area across from an elementary school.

However, Jill Atkey with the BC Non-Profit Housing Association says fears about children’s safety when concerned with social housing developments don’t hold water.

“And when we look province-wide, in fact, more than half of all supportive housing sites in the province are within 500 metres of a school,” she explained.

St. Augustine School in Vancouver’s Kitsilano neighbourhood. (CityNews Image)

“I think we’d be hearing about it regularly in the media and government would be reconsidering its approach to supportive housing,” Atkey added.

She also notes a lot of the concerns residents are bringing up end up sorting themselves out.

“People are housed there, they get some stability in their lives, and they actually become integrated into the neighbourhood and resident fears tend to be decreased,” Atkey said.

Of the over 1,500 pieces of correspondence sent to the city on this matter, over two thirds are opposed.

Kitsilano social housing project would ‘deliver critical affordable homes’

In a statement to CityNews, BC Housing says the project “proposes to deliver critical affordable homes for those who are experiencing homelessness, at-risk of homelessness or facing displacement from low-income housing, as well as for residents who may be working and earning very low incomes.”

It says about half of the units in the development would operate as supportive housing, while the other half “would be very affordable rental housing for residents who are ready and able to live more independently.”

“Based on an examination of the need that exists in Vancouver, both City staff and BC Housing feel this new operating model would meet a broader range of housing needs in the community,” the statement continued.

BC Housing is working to address many assumptions people make about supportive housing, saying people who live in these developments including young people, seniors, people living with disabilities, and those who have experienced trauma or poverty.

“It is inappropriate to suggest that people who live in supportive housing pose a risk as we know it is often criminal elements that prey on vulnerable populations,” the organization said

BC Housing says if the project is approved, it will create a community advisory committee, including partners and neighbourhood representatives, to “identify, build, and maintain positive relationships amongst the community, the building operators, and program partners, and to identify and resolve any issues, opportunities and concerns related to building operations.”