New Social Housing Initiatives in Vancouver
Among the recommendations put forward by the ICI Housing Table
was the suggestion that the City of Vancouver’s target
of building 3,200 new units of social housing also be the target
for a social housing legacy from the Games. The 2003 Bid Book for
the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games committed to an
official housing legacy from the Games of 250 non-market units from
the Olympic and Paralympic Village Vancouver. Construction of these
units is underway.
The recommendation to increase the number of legacy social housing units beyond 250 is a public policy decision that exceeds the scope of the Games. As documented in the June 2007 joint response of the ICI Partners to the ICI Housing Table’s recommendations, since the Bid was won, different levels of government have committed to delivering a total of 1,109 new social housing units in Vancouver. Moving forward, the City of Vancouver plans to produce an annual update on social housing commitments.
The following new social housing initiatives were introduced in calendar 2007 by various levels of government:
The recommendation to increase the number of legacy social housing units beyond 250 is a public policy decision that exceeds the scope of the Games. As documented in the June 2007 joint response of the ICI Partners to the ICI Housing Table’s recommendations, since the Bid was won, different levels of government have committed to delivering a total of 1,109 new social housing units in Vancouver. Moving forward, the City of Vancouver plans to produce an annual update on social housing commitments.
The following new social housing initiatives were introduced in calendar 2007 by various levels of government:
-
an $80 million acquisition by the Province of British Columbia of 10 single room accommodation (SRA) hotels (595 units in Vancouver’s inner city) to stabilize low-income housing stock
-
a new collaboration between the City of Vancouver and the Province of British Columbia to expedite approval of up to 1,200 new social and supportive housing units on $50 million worth of land owned by the City (12 properties)
-
a $41 million allocation by the Province of British Columbia to support expanded operation of temporary shelters throughout the province, as well as other projects to address homelessness
-
a Homelessness Partnering Strategy by the Government of Canada that will make more funding available to transitional and supportive housing projects
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