‘It’s nowhere that I’m happy to call home’: City survey finds private SROs unaffordable
A survey by Vancouver city staff has concluded that SROs, or single room occupancy buildings — often deemed a last resort for housing — are becoming increasingly unaffordable for those on income assistance.
The “2023 Downtown Core Low-Income Housing Survey” found that at least 60 per cent of residents living in private SROs are spending more than half their income on housing, rents are increasing faster in private buildings that change owners and private SRO rooms are no longer affordable to those on income assistance.
According to the report, since 2003, the number of privately owned and operated rooms renting at the shelter component of income assistance decreased from 1,700 to 52 rooms. In the last three years, average rents in the private SRO stock increased by 21 per cent, from $561 to $681, while the number of rooms renting at twice the shelter rate increased by 18 per cent, from 769 to 911 rooms.
Coun. Pete Fry said the housing stock is being depleted due to fires, neglect and converting low-income housing to more profitable units that people cannot afford.
“We know we’re in a housing crisis now, but it’s looking like it’ll only get worse without some real significant interventions,” said Fry.
Jennifer Nelson has lived in a Downtown Eastside SRO for the last seven years and is on disability. She said she was homeless prior to finding her current place, but said she’s dealt with a myriad of issues, including feeling unsafe.
“It’s nowhere that I’m happy to call home,” she said. “I need to be able to breathe and in this kind of housing, it does not feel like you can breathe. It’s very claustrophobic living. Small rooms, shared bathrooms, shared showers. It’s not an ideal way for humans to live.”
According to the provincial government, for the first time since 2007, income assistance to the shelter rate will increase from $375 to $500 dollars in July.
"That’s still not enough to live on in this city,” said Nelson, who added that one third of her income is allocated to her rent.
On Tuesday, Vancouver council will address the low-income survey, along with proposed changes to the Single Room Accommodation Bylaw. One of the amendments includes increasing the amount council may require as a condition of approving an SRA permit from $230,000 to $300,000 to fund the costs of replacing a room that is being removed from the SRA bylaw.
Fry acknowledged the amendments won’t do much to solve a much larger crisis.
“This is really kind of trying to put out a fire with a squirt gun in many respects,” he said. “These bylaws are about as much as we can do as the city, but really the underlying issue here is we need some significant investment from senior governments into building housing that isn’t just SRO stock.”
The province has pledged to deliver 330 new or renovated units in the Downtown Eastside by June.
Nelson is one of thousands of residents wanting safe, affordable housing, yet she says she feels she's not being heard.
“It seems like they don’t need to fix anything, they don’t need to maintain anything because we’re poor,” she said. “That shouldn't be how it is. We are still paying rent. We are still paying for services that we’re not getting and that shouldn’t be acceptable.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.