Reaction is pouring in to Vancouver’s controversial move to freeze new supportive housing in the city.
Vancouver city council heard from nearly 100 speakers on Monday, the majority raising concerns with Mayor Ken Sim’s proposal, while protesters rallied outside City Hall.
But the idea has its backers as well — even if they have been less public about it.
“We’re fully supportive of it,” said Brian Davie, president of the Gastown Residents’ Association.
“Our primary concern is crime and social disorder which have overwhelmed us in recent years, and frankly we’re happy to have a mayor who is listening to us right now.”
Sim said the city had received about 130 letters in support of the motion, and had met with groups supportive of the plan like Davie’s.
Coun. Lenny Zhou said one of the letters was from a coalition of Chinatown organizations, many of whose members couldn’t speak at council due to work commitments or language barriers.
“What happened in the past many years is their voice was ignored by the city council,” he said.
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“Their voice is important, as much as others.”
Sim and the plan’s backers say a freeze on new supportive housing is needed to allow the city to shore up its existing and dilapidated stock of low-income housing.
They further argue other regional municipalities need to pull their weight by providing supportive housing of their own.
But opponents of the plan say putting the brakes on new supportive housing during a housing crisis and as the homeless population grows will only exacerbate the problem.
ABC Vancouver Coun. Lisa Dominato split with her caucus colleagues to vote against the motion.
“We need to be adding actually more supportive housing, not less, when there’s such a time of need,” she said, noting the last homeless count found more than 4,000 unhoused people in the region, more than half of them in Vancouver.
“I have talked to mayors and councillors from across the region and I don’t think this motion is going to compel them to add more supportive housing. In fact, we just saw Richmond reject a supportive project in their community.”
B.C. Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon called the city’s move “disappointing.”
“That being said, we’re going to continue our advocacy with Vancouver, we’re going to continue our work,” he said.
“We’ve been assured that the projects in the pipeline now will still proceed but it does create some uncertainty for the future.”
More than 400 supportive housing units are already in the pipeline for Vancouver and will go ahead despite the motion.
The mayor’s freeze also includes several exemptions for projects that would replace existing housing stock, health-care-related housing and projects for seniors, women and youth aging out of care.
