Supportive housing pause, Pride block party: A look at Vancouver city council’s upcoming agenda
Posted February 21, 2025 12:38 pm.
Vancouver city council is preparing to table some major motions next week, including the mayor’s plan to “uplift” the Downtown Eastside.
On Wednesday, Feb. 26, Mayor Ken Sim is expected to submit a motion entitled ‘Temporarily Pausing Net-New Supportive Housing Investments in Vancouver to Prioritize Replacing Existing Stock and Promoting Regional Equity.’
Speaking at a forum held by the Save Our Streets B.C. Coalition on Jan. 23, Sim announced his plan to transform the neighbourhood by breaking up supportive housing, shelter services, and social services to encourage a mix of housing and businesses.
Sim says the current state of the Downtown Eastside has led to a “cycle of instability and decline,” weighing unfairly on Vancouver.
Since January, Sim has repeatedly claimed that Vancouver currently houses 77 per cent of the region’s supportive housing, despite comprising only 25 per cent of the region’s population.
Details of the official motion have been made public ahead of Wednesday’s Standing Committee on Policy and Strategic Priorities.
The motion defines ‘supportive housing’ as low-barrier housing for individuals experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness and with severe mental health challenges and/or substance use disorders, including 24/7 on-site support services.
“For clarity, this motion does not refer to Social Housing where occasional supports are provided to ensure households maintain their tenancies,” it explained.
Sim says the pause will help the city focus on improving the conditions in several Single Room Occupancy (SRO) buildings throughout Vancouver.
“Although there is no firm estimate of how many SRO buildings in the city currently fail to meet the basic standards of safety and dignity, the number is known to be significant and threatens to push even more people into homelessness,” the motion claims, citing structure fires and earthquake risk.
Once again, the motion repeats Sim’s idea that the pause will encourage other municipalities in the region to “share in the responsibility of providing housing and care for those in need.”
The motion details that the pause will not affect funding for the following:
- Projects that are already underway;
- Certain Vancouver Coastal Health projects;
- Projects that replace existing social housing or improve density, social housing for seniors, women and families, and youth aging out of care;
- Projects that help those in social housing maintain their tenancies;
- Or any projects applied for within six months of the motion being approved.
Sim says he will also ask the provincial and federal governments to balance the supportive housing stock around the region and increase investments in mental health and addiction care “to address the root causes of homelessness and suffering.”
The mayor is also moving to enhance the province’s STEP program, which encourages the transition from supportive housing to independent living.
Finally, he’ll be directing staff to report every two years on whether the province is doing its part to ensure other municipalities are doing theirs.
Also on the table on Wednesday will be Coun. Peter Meiszner’s motion to bring back the Davie Street Promenade (formerly the Davie Street Block Party) this year.
For decades, the Vancouver Pride Parade Festival was hosted on a closed-to-vehicles Davie Street during Vancouver’s Pride weekend, but the city hasn’t hosted the event since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The working group is seeking city and council support to bring back the Davie Street Block Party in 2025, with proceeds going to the Vancouver Pride Society and Qmunity, to support their vital initiatives and work in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community,” Meiszner’s motion explains.
He hopes to work with West End BIA, Vancouver Pride Society, Qmunity, TransLink, and the Vancouver Police Department to initiate a full street closure of Davie Street from Burrard to Jervis streets this year and in 2026.
More to come.
