$30 million for housing is welcome. But how far will it go?

affordable housing Recently, Mayor Kennedy Stewart proposed that the city spend $30 million addressing the homelessness emergency crisis arising from the pandemic. The funds are for buying or leasing hotels, apartment buildings and single-room occupancy hotels to provide housing for those on the streets or squeezed out of shelters with COVID-19 distancing requirements.

I’m so pleased to have seen him propose such a bold initiative, and to see that council passed it unanimously.

I don’t need to tell you that homelessness has been a constant crisis in Vancouver for years, not just during the pandemic. But I also want to remind you this was not always the case.

As late as the 1970s, the federal and provincial governments allocated significant amounts of money for non-market housing, which lead to the construction of everything from housing co-ops to government-owned housing for people of modest means.

Then as provincial and federal funding for non-market housing slowly dried up, homelessness became more and more prevalent. Today it’s a crisis.

Fortunately, the current provincial NDP government designated a record amount of money to address this crisis. According to a Vancouver Sun article, the 2020 budget provides $4.2 billion over three years for housing initiatives. That includes $1.35 billion in 2020-21; $1.41 billion in 2021-22; and $1.49 billion in 2022-23, which includes funding for affordable homes for low- and middle-income British Columbians.

Unfortunately, it’s simply a fact of life that it will take two to three years for this provincial funding to turn into “bricks and mortar” homes, which is why the mayor’s initiative is so welcome. It’s to be used solely for the purchase or lease of existing buildings suitable for housing, with little or no delay to address the immediate COVID emergency. There will be no need for building permits or construction.

Of particular note is the fact that all the NPA councillors voted in favour of the mayor’s proposal. Historically, the NPA has been adamantly opposed to any city money being spent on non-market housing, arguing that this is not a municipal responsibility, but a federal and provincial one.

It’s also worth noting that a staff report before city council the same time they okayed the $30-million program identified 290 units in undisclosed buildings that could cost $125 million to $240 million to buy, with another $11 million needed for operating costs, like providing health care and other services.

At that rate, how many units could the city actually purchase?

If I were still on city council, I’d also want to know what will happen when the $30 million runs out? How much of the housing will be available to people who only need emergency shelter for COVID relief, and how much will end up as longer-term housing?

I don’t want to rain on the mayor’s parade. His initiative is a very welcome development that will go partway toward addressing Vancouver’s homelessness. But big questions remain about how big — and how permanent — that part will be.

Daily atmospheric CO₂ [Courtesy of CO2.Earth]

Latest daily total (Oct. 12, 2020): 410.89 ppm

One year ago (Oct. 14, 2019): 408.46 ppm