Hundreds of women marched through Vancouver's Downtown Eastside on Saturday to demand long-term affordable housing for struggling women who are disproportionately affected by poverty, they say.

The Power of Women Group at the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre organized the annual march to call for more housing, ongoing funding and a freeze on rent in low-income units.

The women aim to make clear to municipal, provincial and federal governments they need to provide more funding for social housing instead of allowing residents to be displaced by real estate developments and venues for the 2010 Olympic Games.

Donna Testawich, who is homeless, said she attended the rally because she wants to have clean, livable housing.

"It's not right that I should be walking around here in fear, but I can't leave this area because this is the only place where you can food," she said. "If you need medical help, computers ... I can do the job searching stuff from here."

B.C. NDP housing critic David Chudnovsky said the number of homeless people in the province is inexcusable.

"This is not Bangladesh, this isn't Burma," said Chudnovsky. "This is B.C., one of the most privileged places in the world, and yet we have thousands and thousands of people without any place to live."

The Power of Women Group cites a report from the Geneva-Centre on Housing and Rights and Evictions which found more than 2 million people around the world have been displaced to make room for Olympic Games.

A representative for B.C. Housing says two of the 17 new social housing sites expected to be finished by 2010 will be designated for women only.

"Women are particularly vulnerable and they've got unique needs, and that is a big challenge," said Margaret McNeil, an executive with B.C. Housing. "Safety is a big issue and that's why we've dedicated some of the shelter beds specifically for women."

In the Downtown Eastside, more than 1,000 units of low-income housing have been lost as a result of closures related to the Olympics, the group says.

With a report from CTV British Columbia's John Fenton