Vancouver and B.C. Gov’t want people off the street, unhoused want safer housing first

B.C. Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon announced the provincial government would be opening over 300 housing spaces for people currently living in tents on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES).

Kahlon says there are currently over 100 people sheltering outside near the Hastings strip, and 70 of them say they want housing. But until those homes become available, the government wants people off the street now.

“We are actively encouraging people to take those spaces. We can say with confidence that it is much safer for people to be in those shelters than it is to be in those encampments,” he said.

However, Hamish Ballantyne with the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users says the housing available, much of it being single room occupancies (SROs), is restrictive and deters many people.

“The model of housing that’s available to people right now is predominantly supportive housing,” he said. “When you move in off the street, you’re moving into a building where you have staff who enforce a lot of rules that people are very uncomfortable with.”

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After the announcement, Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said safety has been a major concern on the DTES.

“Every single day, we do hear heartbreaking stories related to vandalism, and theft, and overdose deaths, and tent fires,” he said.

Vancouver Fire Rescue Services says there have been around 15 tent fires in the DTES so far this year, and a tent fire earlier in March had Chief Karen Fry calling for change.

“It’s a great risk to that whole community. I’m extremely frustrated. We need to do more and, unfortunately, it’s a really fine balancing act between meeting the needs of those that are on the streets but also protecting them … on the streets, protecting the people in the buildings, and protecting our community,” said Fry.

“This is not a safe environment for the residents in the area, those living in the tents and the responders,” she added over Twitter.

A tent fire in the #DTES has spread to a building.

Multiple propane tanks on site.

This is not a safe environment for the residents in the area, those living in the tents and the responders.@VanFireRescue @IAFF18 pic.twitter.com/lSDtR2vtnY

— Karen Fry (@Karen_Fry) March 20, 2023

Ballantyne says he hosts meetings every Monday for people living in tents and on the street on the DTES.

“We have up to 50 people come to each meeting. And every time people echo these exact concerns that the housing that’s currently available is not good enough, that they don’t feel safe there or respected or dignified,” he explained.

On Sunday, Kahlon said the ministry is aware of problems with SROs and he says they’re working with BC Housing.

“We know that there are some storage units that are not adequate and we are working as hard as we can to ensure that we can fix those up,” he said.

Kahlon says the new units will be a combination of SROs and modular housing.

Scotty Archondous used to live in a tent, and says he understands why some people are reluctant to give up tent life for an SRO.

“There’s a lot of problems, like disease and air quality issues. A lot of times, the places aren’t maintained well and places are becoming derelict and things not working and, you know, people shouting all through the night and breaking into your place,” he said. “So, the freedom of being outside is sometimes a little bit better.”

Read more:

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• Vancouver encampment being cleared at Vanier Park in Kitsilano

Although, Kahlon says the province is committed to providing safe housing.

“Too often smoking is a challenge for the fire alarms going off. And so, it involves an education process for residents as well.”

Ballantyne says, if the government wants people off the street, it needs to meet a higher standard.

“There needs to be housing provided that is safe and dignified for people who are living unhoused,” he said.