British Columbia will provide 330 new homes for people living in Vancouver害羞草研究所檚 Downtown Eastside by the end of June, the province害羞草研究所檚 housing minister announced Sunday.
Ravi Kahlon, who announced the new initiative at an afternoon news conference alongside Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim, said there are currently about 117 people living on East Hastings Street, 70 of whom have expressed a desire for housing.
害羞草研究所淓veryone in the Downtown Eastside deserves a safe, stable and supportive place to call home,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淲e害羞草研究所檙e committed to continuing to work with our partners to make that happen.害羞草研究所�
The new initiative will include two temporary supportive housing projects and a mix of renovated single room occupancy and other supportive housing units, which will open 害羞草研究所渙n a rolling basis害羞草研究所� through April, May and June.
Sim said there has been an uptick in safety concerns for those living in the Downtown Eastside, citing an increase in sexual and violent assaults as well as fires, adding the new housing will provide safety to the city害羞草研究所檚 most vulnerable residents.
To illustrate his point, Sim cited a survey of 50 women living on the Downtown Eastside that was conducted between November and January by Atira Women害羞草研究所檚 Society, a Vancouver-based organization that provides support services for women affected by violence. It said all 50 respondents reported feeling unsafe and being subjected to violence including sexual assault.
害羞草研究所淭he challenges we see in the Downtown Eastside are real and significant. Today marks an important step forward,害羞草研究所� Sim said. 害羞草研究所淭he province has shown a lot of leadership here and we害羞草研究所檒l continue to help our most vulnerable population out to get them the supports that they need.害羞草研究所�
The Vancouver Fire Rescue Service issued an order to remove tents and structures along East Hastings Street last July, which Kahlon said compelled governments and service providers to develop and implement a co-ordinated response plan to help people get off the streets and safely into homes.
He credited the response plan for getting more than 90 people who were living on the street into housing. Since then, he said the number of structures along East Hastings has gone from 180 to 74.
Kahlon said the province is also working 害羞草研究所渧ery closely害羞草研究所� with the City of Vancouver to build more long-term housing options. He urged Downtown Eastside residents to take advantage of current availability and accept any housing offers that come their way.
害羞草研究所淭he goal is for people to get into shelters, then get them into supportive housing or in some cases complex care housing, and then once they害羞草研究所檝e got that stability, to get them into either affordable rental units or market rentals,害羞草研究所� he said.
Brieanna Charlebois, The Canadian Press
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