What's wrong with the City of Vancouver's 12 Sites Initiative?

The Yaletown Residents Association is sympathetic to the plight of homeless people in Vancouver. We are very much in favour of providing assisted housing throughout the City, including on the 12 Sites proposed by the City of Vancouver, and including on the designated 1050 Expo Boulevard site in Yaletown. Assisted housing that is properly developed can be positive for its neighbourhood. We want to work with the City to reach a long-term solution that is in the best interests of the homeless, the surrounding communities, and taxpayers. So what’s wrong with the current proposals for the 12 Sites?

Summary of concerns

Supplementary information:

1. Expert advice on the appropriate size of developments has been disregarded

Letter from Prof. George Galster to the Mayor and Council of the City of Vancouver, dated 17 September 2008, giving his expert opinion that the proposed developments are “much larger than is advisable,” and “very likely to engender negative effects.”

2. Dangerous changes have been made to the proposals, without public consultation

Changes to the requirement that occupants must be engaged in treatment for their mental illness or addiction, made without public consultation for at least one of the 12 Sites by representatives of the City of Vancouver, BC Housing, St James Society and 127 Society.

3. Surrounding communities have been alienated, instead of engaging their support

Failure to give sufficient notification to surrounding communities of the key meeting of the City Council in December 2007 when the 12 Sites Initiative was approved.