Vancouver and B.C. gov’t plan to move supportive housing out of Granville Entertainment District

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim says the city and the province are planning to move supportive housing out of the Granville Entertainment District.

An emergency “task force” formed to address what the city calls street disorder along the Granville Strip held a press conference in downtown Vancouver Thursday, where Sim shared Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon confirmed the province is working with the city to move the current supportive housing units.

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“As the City of Vancouver, we will help the province identify and provide city-owned lands to build purpose-built supportive housing,” Sim explained.

“And we’re going to be doing supportive housing differently, by building off of the successful experiences and examples that we have with respect to supportive housing.

“And so what does this mean? This means that as the City of Vancouver, we will support supportive housing projects that are capped at 40 units or structures, or supportive housing buildings that provide on-site security initiatives that include road to recovery. So it will help the residents that will live in these units have an opportunity to get better and overall, [with] wrap-around services that will address mental health challenges that the residents face,” Sim said.

As for when the city may see supportive housing units move out of the area, Sim was unable to provide a timeline.

However, the mayor said he is thankful that the province “finally agreed to its long-standing ask,” but said it’s “just the start.”

“What this really is about it’s about setting up supportive housing, and the individuals that need this housing, up for success. It’s also about making Vancouver, and in particular, the Granville Entertainment District, a way safer place. And it’s about having the Granville Entertainment District finally living up to its true potential as being an iconic world-class entertainment district,” he said.

The news conference comes after a fire at an SRO on Granville Street on Wednesday evening. According to Vancouver Fire Rescue Crews, two people were treated at the scene and taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation.

Speaking for the Hospitality Vancouver Association, Laura Ballance explained that as “years” of requests to address the issues with BC Housing have gone unanswered, “we are trying something different.”

“We are speaking openly and transparently about the crisis of Granville Street, on the unbearable street disorder which our businesses are enduring.”

Ballance claimed crime and street disorder are at record levels, and are “getting worse by the day.”

“Our staff aren’t safe. Our patrons aren’t safe. This street is no longer safe. It is our position that the crisis on Granville Street is directly attributed to the chronic mismanagement of social housing on Granville Street,” she said.

Ballance explained that in 2020, the Howard Johnson Hotel was purchased by the provincial government to provide temporary housing to those with complex needs during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“At that time, everyone seemed to agree that putting people with complex needs in a concentrated area directly above and around the entertainment district of our city was not ideal, but it was an emergency, and it was temporary,” she said.

“Today, five years later, the SROs are still here, and the effect of these now derelict buildings that have been taken over by organized crime is that our street is no longer safe.”

Cabana Night Club owner Dave Kershaw told media on Thursday that the state of Granville Street is directly linked to when social housing popped up in the area.

“I’ve owned a club on Granville since 1996, so I’ve seen the ups and downs. I can tell you, I’ve never seen it this bad. This has been a direct correlation since 2020, when the provincial government admittedly started moving people from encampments that we all saw on the news, up to the entertainment district on Granville Street, and then the drug policy,” he said.

“I deal with constant flooding, fire alarms, and disorders such as things being flung at customers. And the really bad thing is the continual open drug use, having people shooting up heroin, smoking crack in front of my club while I’m open,” he claimed. “On Sunday, we had a group of almost a dozen people doing drugs, one guy’s Naloxone kit, while I’m trying to open for an international DJ.”

But Kershaw said his message is “not anti-poverty.”

“This is a message to get the people who need help the proper help. They are not being served, being put in SROs on Granville Street, and at the same time, it is destroying our business. Sales are down. Traffic is down. People are scared to come to Granville Street,” he shared.

Vancouver Hospitality Association calling for BC Housing inquiry

As the City of Vancouver recently approved a plan to revitalize the Granville Strip, Ballance said that it will not happen without the removal of SROs from the district.

“This will not be possible unless the SROs are relocated, and the people who are currently housed at both the Luggat [Howard Johnson] and at the St. Helens finally receive the support and treatment they require,” she said.

According to Ballance, police calls from the Howard Johnson have been up, and more than 245 fires have started, resulting in floods and unit damage.

“We, as members of the business community, have tried to work within the system. There is zero will at BC Housing to meet with us, consult us, or respond to our pleas for help,” Ballance claimed. “We, at Hospitality Vancouver Association, are calling for a full inquiry related to BC Housing, their funding model, their oversight, and their accountability.”

“We believe that inquiry should extend to their contracted service providers, including and such as Atira,” Ballance added.

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