New Housing Option for People at Howe Shelter
VANCOUVER – The Howe St. shelter will be closed on Aug. 7 and a new, more cost-effective and stable housing option will be available for those using the shelter, Housing and Social Development Minister Rich Coleman and Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson announced today.
“We’ve been able to secure improved, more permanent housing for people using the Howe St. Shelter, and the new location will alleviate concerns expressed by neighbouring residents,” said Coleman. “We will be able to offer a significantly higher number of housing units with more supports at about a quarter of the cost to better address homelessness in Vancouver.”
The Province is leasing the 166-unit Dunsmuir House, at the corner of Dunsmuir and Richards. The estimated combined cost of the lease and providing supports at a building the size of Dunsmuir House is approximately $570 per person per month, compared to the estimated combined cost of housing and supports at the Howe St. shelter of approximately $2,000 per person per month.
Temporary housing options have been identified and are being offered to the people staying at the 38-bed Howe St. shelter before it closes, until $500,000 in upgrades funded by the City of Vancouver are completed in the next few weeks at Dunsmuir House.
“The leasing of Dunsmuir House is a step forward in our efforts to end street homelessness in our city,” said Robertson. “People in Vancouver have expressed strong support for finding solutions that provide safe, secure housing for everyone who needs it.”
City consultations on the Howe St. shelter found broad support for the shelter across the city, but that support diminished in the more immediate area. Both Coleman and Robertson extended their appreciation to the staff and volunteers with the RainCity Housing and Support Society for their dedication in operating the shelter, and efforts to address neighbourhood concerns.
Dunsmuir House will be leased from the Holborn Group, a Vancouver-based real estate company with local and international interests.
“The Holborn Group is committed to providing a range of housing solutions to make Vancouver a more liveable and vibrant community,” said Holborn president and CEO Joo Kim Tiah. “Dunsmuir House will provide an excellent source of accommodation in a central area close to a range of services and amenities to help people.”
The low-barrier HEAT shelters were announced in December 2008 as a response to help Vancouver’s homeless citizens during an extremely cold winter. The Province, City of Vancouver and Streetohome Foundation each provided funding of $500,000 at the time. Five HEAT shelters were established during the winter. One was closed in July, and a consultation process was undertaken by the City to determine whether the Province would continue funding the Howe St. shelter. The Province is funding the remaining three shelters until April 2010.
In addition to the HEAT shelters, there are currently more than 600 year-round shelter beds available in Vancouver that receive annual funding of nearly $17 million. The Province has invested about $90 million to purchase 23 single room occupancy (SRO) hotels in the Downtown Eastside since 2005 to protect and upgrade approximately 1,440 units of low-income housing.
The Province has also provided approximately $175 million for new supportive housing units on 14 sites provided by the City of Vancouver. The balance of the funding will come from the proceeds of the sale and redevelopment of the provincially owned Little Mountain housing site.
The Province funds approximately 26,000 units of subsidized housing in Vancouver with a total annual subsidy of about $105 million through a variety of programs. Across B.C., the Province is investing more than $469 million in housing and support services this year.
