The BC Liberals are focused on helping individuals and families break the cycle of homelessness. That is why we quadrupled funding for social and supportive housing since 2001 and nearly tripled the number of supportive housing units. That is why we doubled the number of shelter beds across BC and are creating more than 16,000 new units of subsidized housing and new 24/7 access to emergency shelters. We have purchased 45 single room occupancy hotels and affordable housing buildings, a $130 million investment.

We will invest $90 million in upgrading and renovating those 2,000 new units to protect them for affordable housing. We will expand the new outreach programs that now operate in 48 communities to connect homeless people with safe housing and shelters, income assistance, employment counseling, and medical services. Over 80 per cent of the 4,600 people who have been helped by those outreach programs are still living in safe and secure housing today. That gives new stability to their lives. We will succeed in conquering homelessness one person at a time and in partnership with governments, the non-profit sector and private individuals who want to help.

The new Rental Assistance Program, which we established, now provides rental assistance of an average $350 per month to more than 7,700 low income, working families with children. That’s $4,200 each year in new rental supports for low income families. Seniors have also benefited from our doubling of the Shelter Aid for Elderly Renters (SAFER) rent subsidy program. It now provides an average annual rental subsidy of $1,800 to over 15,700 seniors – 3,700 more seniors than in 2001.

We will build on these and other initiatives by further investing more than $172 million in housing projects on six sites in Vancouver, with another six sites ready to go when the city gives them appropriate approvals. Non-profit societies have been selected to manage the 569 new units as soon as they are complete, creating 1,100 new jobs. We are also investing $130 million to build an additional 478 new housing units on 11 sites in seven additional communities, creating an estimated 830 direct jobs.