A short factual article outlines purchases made by the provincial government for 11 SRO hotels. Is the government finally responding to the housing crisis? Is it too little too late?
2007-04-05 - The Georgia Straight - Government Keeps SRO Prices Under Wraps
SROs are important because they fall within the jurisdiction of the city. The author accuses the mayor “reactively managing the DTES housing crisis as opposed to proactively solving it.” The $5000/unit fine has been raised to $15,000 but this will still not solve the problem. It makes economic and social sense to provide SRO units, given the comparatively high costs of supplying shelters or jail cells. Perhaps the Olympics will be a blessing in disguise and finally force the city to address its decisions more wisely? Remains to be seen…
2007-02-22 - The Georgia Straight - City Fails to Protect SROs
This news release introduces the bylaw put into motion by select council members to enforce a moratorium on conversions of SRO units for other uses, resulting in heavy fines for the developers of such units. “This motion is in response to our failure to live up to our Olympic commitments,” that were not being sufficiently addressed by the mayor, says one city councillor. However, by the time the bylaw comes into place, hundreds of units (at least 350) have already been lost. Is the city doing enough to protect its own citizens? Should the city have not acted in a more timely manner given the fact that these types of conversions would have been easy to predict? Who has the city been protecting – the citizens of Vancouver or the developers of Olympic properties?
2006-09-30 - The Georgia Straight -Vision Vancouver Calls for Bans on SRO Demolitions
Written as a cautionary warning, this article reminds us of the outcomes of low-income citizens in post-Olympic cities which, not surprisingly, do not err in favour of the disenfranchised. Citing other Olympic cities, the article reveals undelivered promises for housing and draws attention to Vancouver’s own commitment.
Will Vancouver live up to its pledge to provide long-term solutions for housing or will it cave to the pressure and opt for quick fixes and short-term solutions provoked by the looming deadline of 2010?
Since published, Vancouver has already witnessed some of the prophecies come true (“evictions resulting from gentrification and beautification” and tougher laws on panhandling and/or loitering). As citizens we need to keep watch on policy changes that are being pushed for in the name of the Olympics. There effects will impact us longer than two weeks of festivities.
2006-08-31 - The Georgia Straight - Olympic Cities Punish Poor
This brief article provides a decent explanation of a city bylaw that prevents building owners from converting SROs (Single Room Occupancy) into another use (like high-end condos) by imposing a $5000 fine per unit. Thus, a 50 unit building would be fined $250,000 making it an undesirable purchase for a prospective developer.
What this bylaw attempts to do is reduce the number of conversions of SRO units of which there are already dangerously low numbers. It is easy to argue that this is a good thing. The equation seems simple: we have a large number of homeless citizens so we need a large number of affordable homes. There seems to be little room for sympathy when we generalize and associate the developer with a money-hungry corporation; this article shows that there is a human side to these transactions with real-life consequences.
This article poses two interesting questions: Why are we fining individual property owners for wanting to reap the benefits of their own private interests? (ie cashing in on their own property, just like any other building owner hopes to do) Is it reasonable for the city to rely on PRIVATE interest to solve a SOCIAL housing problem?
2006-08-10 - The Georgia Straight - Small Building Owners Caught in Bylaw Trap
