That's It!

Well, I think I have reached the end of my blogging career. I hope that the following posts are interesting and shed some light on a very complex topic. The End

This Condo For Sale

For interests/research sake (and, okay daydreaming) I’ve been looking at some of the websites for new condo developments in the Gastown/DTES area. I’m not sure who can afford these, but I am definitely not included. I think the same goes for almost everyone who currently resides in the DTES. This type of high-end development will raise eventually raise the value of the entire area. More SRO conversions are surely in sight. Buy now, while units are still available for around the quarter-half million mark!

Every Building on 100 West Hastings

I have been reading quite a few articles from the book "Every Building on 100 West Hastings" edited by Ruth Shier. It is published by the Contemporary Art Gallery (Vancouver) and I believe it was released in conjunction with the work by Stan Douglas (local artist/photographer) of the same name. This block of Hastings (directly across from the new Woodwards redevelopment) was touted in 1998 as "the worst block in Canada" by one reporter. Its boarded up windows and decrypted facades stand (barely) as a symbol of the despair of the entire Hastings area and the lack of investment/concern for this area since the early 1990s. This book has some great articles by many important sociologists/geographers about the history of the area and the affects of gentrification. I have become particularly interested in how zoning (especially protective zoning like heritage districts) affects the structure of the city. The book also highlights how Vancouver has dealt with urban renewal projects (Project 200) and other world events (Expo 86) which, unfortunately, suggests that how we are not handling the Olympic construction much better.

July 26 - The Georgia Straight

Coincidentally, the Georgia Straight has come out with a few great articles on Housing Solutions, just as my blog is ending. The cover of this edition depicts a rather sad looking character cramped into the stump of a hollowed out tree, squished in with all his earthly belonging. A bewildered an annoyed squirrel watches over. The analogy doesn’t seem so silly these days. One of the articles (by Charlie Smith) provides some insight into the Little Mountain Housing complex. It is a 6 hectare site (quite a large piece of land by today’s standards) at 33^rd and Main St that is slated for redevelopment. The site will be redesigned to includes hundreds more units, both of market and non-market housing. The city can then use the profit to fund other social housing projects. While I think there intentions are good (increase densification, increase capital for more projects, provide more social housing) they are going about the development all wrong. Rather than develop the project in phases (which is quite possible given the scale of the site), all the residents are forced to move out at once. They are being relocated across the city. So while the project is under construction (which will take a few years), children are forced to switch schools, people will have to commute longer distances, and seniors will have to arrange travel for medical attention. It seems to me, that if we want to provide housing, we should not have to evict people from their homes in order to do it.

Chapter 25

I have found this Chapter by R. Alan Walks entitled "Homelessness, Housing Affordability and the New Poverty" one of the most enlightening chapters because he approaches the issues from slightly different angles. His "Continuum of Homefullness to Homelessness" graph of housing options available within both the public and private market helps to clearly illustrate how when even one of the options are removed - such as the closure/conversion of SRO units - the rest of the system feels the impact. When SROs close, the next available options are very limited and often only temporary. It also helps to show people at the lowest end of the spectrum can literally get bumped down a notch. As rents rise, more are forced to move into low-income housing, and the previous tenants must vacate. Walks' definition of the "new poverty" (poverty, unlike previous decades, that is brought on by shifts in the economy and low paying service jobs rather than the traditional reasons of mental/physical abuse, drug addiction, lack of employable skills) shows us how widespread the problem of housing will quickly become. Other models compare the difference between personal reasons for homelessness (mental health, job skills) and external forces (land inflation, low vacancy rates etc). Personal reasons explain help us determine who are at risk, but external forces will decide how many will be affected.

Yikes! Almost a Month

Well, it has been a little more than a month since by last blog entry. And upon realization of the fast approaching deadline, I figured it was about time I posted some comments about what has been in fact a month worth of reading. I have also been taking an Urban Sociology course which has provided some different perspectives on the same issues presented in our textbook. This has made for a fascinating and well-rounded reading list. So, over the next few days, as I simultaneously write my essay, I will expand a bit on the material I have been collecting an reading over the last few weeks in support of my research into the DTES, housing affordability, homelessness, and gentrification.

2007-06-23 The Province - City of Van buys Drake Hotel for $32 million as Social Housing Fix

The City of Vancouver has bought another building – this one housed a former stripclub – to be converted to SRO housing. The city uses the purchase as a well-timed opportunity to “plug” the other recent acquisitions by the city, showcasing their “commitment” to affordable housing. So, the strip club will go and be replaced by a local pub and the units above will be renovated. I find it sad - yet another building in the worst part of town with the closest resource being a pub instead of a more helpful amenity like a grocery store, pharmacy, café, restaurant or any other retail store that might actually help to revitalize the area. It’s a step forward, but only a small one.

2007-06-23 The Province - City of Van buys Drake Hotel for $32 million as Social Housing Fix

CBC News on the Olympics and Housing

These three articles (dating back to last September) provide cautionary warnings about the negative affects of the Olympics, specifically in areas of social housing, affordability and human rights. The mayor’s “Civil City” project is criticized as an unsuitable and questionable method to clean up the city that punishes those that are forced to live on the streets, instead of providing home. A quote from lawyer David Eby: “Initiatives like bylaws banning sitting or lying down on sidewalks, the increased use of beat police officers, the increased use of surveillance cameras, and the displacement that that is going to cause, I had to tell them (United Nations conference) that we’re really off track to hosting a sustainable Games.”

Others call for more funding housing, including SRO sponsorship, social housing and proper allowances. The $325 welfare shelter allowance hasn’t been increased in 12 years, which hasn’t allowed for natural increases in inflation or accounted for the escalating real-estate market. I think the frequency and continued publication of these articles makes the public aware of the situation, so we ourselves can act like watchdogs and help to hold the city accountable for its promises and react accordingly when they are not fulfilled.

2006-09-21 – CBC News – Homelessness in Vancouver could Triple by 2010: report

2007-02-12 – CBC News – Olympics making Vancouver Housing Crisis worse: critic

2007-06-14 – CBC News – Vancouver Homeless Advocate makes his Case to UN Conference

2007-06-13 - Vancouver Courier - City Backed Bonds for Home Loans

In 1946 the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Cooperation was established to deal with the lack of housing available after the war. For the first time, mortgages were available to veterans and non-veterans alike, making the dream of the “white picket fence” a reality. Mortgages backed by banks have drastically changed who is able to afford a home. Even full-time students like myself are able to enter into the wonderful world of homeownership. However, my own mother had to co-sign for the mortgage and without her long established equity, I wouldn’t have been ale to get a mortgage. Others are faced with similar situations and might not be as fortunate as I was. What other options are there available? This article discusses a proposal for new types of mortgages that might help others enter into the private market. With the current interest rates it make sense to buy a home. In Vancouver, you will pay an equal amount for rent and have nothing to show for it at the end of the month. Solving the crisis of affordability will need creative solutions and I appreciated this article for opening a discussion for alternative financial aid.

2007-06-13 - Vancouver Courier - City Backed Bonds for Home Loans

I would have never ever thought...

The strangest thing happened the other day. It revealed quite a lot about how I perceive Vancouver, and how that perception- to my utter disbelief - is not universally shared. In addition to this "urban" class I am also taking a course in "Urban Sociology' which nicely compliments this class and offers other perspectives on the same issues. In the first class, while we were getting to know each other by talking about our thoughts on planning in Vancouver, a girl from Texas absolutely shocked me. She said the thing she DOES NOT like about Vancouver was that "everything is all compiled ontop of each other" by which she meant that (especially in the Downtown area) you work, play and live all within a few blocks of each other. Coming from Texas, where land runs wild, she said they would NEVER imagine combining all the portions of their life like that. She felt too compressed and squeezed living in Vancouver. She would rather drive 3o mins to work via a freeway, drive back home, then drive another 30 mins to recreation / entertainment whatever. She couldn't understand why anyone wouldn't prefer that scenario compared to Vancouver. I, of course, can't understand why anyone would? Needless to say, this really opened my eyes. Having lived in BC all my life I naively thought that everyone would appreciate the same things - a liveable walkable city that doesn't rely on automobiles, but I guess your upbringing matters more than I previously gave credit for.