On Monday, February 4th, 2013, the Social Housing Coalition held a press conference to demand 10,000 units of social housing per year for the over 100,000 homeless and under-housed in BC.
Kelvin Bee (Kwakwaka’wakw elder with Aboriginal Front Door Society) acknowledged that we were speaking on Unceded Coast Salish territory: Musqueum, Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish nations, and then opened the conference. Speakers included Tami Starlight (Peguis Cree, DTES Neighbourhood Council board member and anti-oppression activist), Ellen Woodsworth (Former Vancouver city councilor with COPE and current organizer with Women Transforming Cities), Karen Ward (Gallery Gachet), Jean Swanson (Carnegie Community Action Project, CCAP), Lorelei Williams (Aboriginal Front Door Society), Doug Swan (ACORN Canada), Kim Hearty (Vancouver Renters’ Union), and Sozan Savehilag (No One Is Illegal).
Rich Coleman, BC’s minister responsible for Housing, responded to the Coalition’s demands (see below). Here’s the media coverage:
- Social housing challenge is unrealistic:
Coleman Says true numbers are higher than Social Housing Coalition BC claims
by Dave White, NEWS 1130 • February 5, 2013 - Community groups ask B.C. to build 10,000 new housing units a year
Coalition illustrates the housing crisis by rolling out a two-metre tall ‘iceberg’
By Kevin Griffin, The Vancouver Sun • February 4, 2013 - B.C. urged to build 10,000 housing units a year to deal with ‘crisis’
By Kevin Griffin, The Province • February 4, 2013 - Housing advocates demand B.C. election commitments
Chris Campbell, 24 hours • February 4, 2013 - Coalition challenges B.C. to build 10,000 social housing units a year
by Yolande Cole, The Georgia Straight • February 4, 2013
And also:
Crisis group wants 10,000 social housing units built per year
By Kevin Griffin, The Province • February 5, 2013
Here’s the full NEWS 1130 coverage:
Social housing challenge is unrealistic:
Coleman Says true numbers are higher than Social Housing Coalition BC claims
by Dave White, NEWS 1130 • February 5, 2013
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – BC’s housing minister says a coalition’s challenge to see him commit to 10,000 new social housing units a year is unrealistic.
Rich Coleman says it’s an idea that could cost billions of dollars.
Social Housing Coalition BC issued the challenge yesterday, admitting it would cost $2 billion a year, but adding that the province is in a crisis with 100,000 people homeless or close to it. Coleman isn’t sold.
“It’s about a $3-billion capital cost and would probably cost you half a billion a year to operate,” he argues. “It’s certainly not part of our platform or program and I haven’t heard from the opposition whether it’s theirs or not.“
“It… isn’t realistic and… it blew through my desk as just a comment from somebody on the Downtown Eastside, I think it was Jean Swanson, and we havenrsquo;t done enough analysis on it,” adds Coleman. “Jean is a member of the NDP but I think she has her own notions on this.”
Coleman tells us itrsquo;s challenging to get projects going when you consider public consultation, funding plans, and construction. He adds the province has increased the BC Housing Budget by $400 million a year in the last six years, just to add a dozen new social housing developments.
Today, he announced 100 interim units have been secured at a former Howard Johnson Hotel on Kingsway for those transitioning out of homelessness.
