What Vancouver can do about Homelessness—Part 2

City Conversation #69: One way to properly house the homeless

August 17th—third in a series of eight conversations about homelessness, housing insecurity, affordability and planning.

Detail from “Departure” by George Lunden—photo by Brian Palmquist

“I’ve been thinking about our homelessness discussion.” My son was initiating the political discussion—progress! He continued.

“So how do we create the opportunity for up to 5% of residents in a building to be from the formerly homeless? You’ve mentioned before that city staff think there are 3,000 homeless people in the city—that means we need 60,000 homes in order for the 5% to total 3,000. And we can’t very well displace existing residents, so how does that actually work? Where will we find 60,000 homes?”

“Great questions,” I responded to his thoughtfulness. “You know I’ve been managing a Homes for Whom database for several months now, which includes all of the spot rezonings approved or proposed under this Council—more than 400 at my last count?” He nodded so I continued.

“Well, the current Council has completed more than 200 of those spot rezonings during its term—their exact number is 238, but I’ve not verified that. My HFW database says 256, so we’re actually not far apart.” He gave me his get on with it look, so I did.

“Those 200+ spot rezonings I’ve recorded include more than 60,000 homes, including social housing, rental and strata. But Development Permits (DPs), the next step after a rezoning, have only been issued for about 10,000 of those homes, leaving 50,000 without DPs. Until a DP is issued there is no agreement between a proponent and the city as regards height, density, etc.—pretty much everything is on the table.”

“To those 50,000 homes without DPs, let’s add in a few projects that are on the horizon but have not yet become rezoning proposals: 6,000 from Senakw’; 10,000 in the Jericho Lands; 7,000 in Little Mountain, Skeena Terrace, Langara Gardens and Northeast False Creek combined;—that brings us to to more than 73,000 homes. And there are another 8,000+ homes whose spot rezoning has not been completed.” I paused for breath.

“So we already have in the pipeline at least 13,000 more homes than the 60,000 we need for 5% supportive,  not including anything from the Broadway Plan or the Vancouver Plan, or any other emergent spot rezonings in the future. One question from me is what development do we not need going forward?”

He thought for a moment, looked at the notes he’d been taking, then responded. “How can the city encourage the developers of all of these homes to accept 5% each of folks needing supportive services?”

“Well,” I answered, “as I mentioned, until a DP has actually been issued, there is no final agreement between the city and a developer as to what can be built. So every project I’ve mentioned is fair game for the 5%. The exception is Senakw’, which does not apparently require any city permits.”

“Is it really that simple?” he asked. “Yes and no,” I responded. “There are many practical details to work out—covenants to protect these 5% from absorption, capital cost sharing, and perhaps most challenging, providing supportive services. But at least one political party, TEAM for a Livable Vancouver, has pledged to increase the existing Vancouver Police Department (VPD) Car 87 program that pairs mental health professionals with police officers in patrol cars, to provide on-site assessment and intervention when necessary.”

“The underlying foundational principle is that every spot rezoning should include 5% of homes targeted for the homeless, integrated within each building and supported by mental health professionals and safety and security for all.”

“Sounds doable,” mused by son after some moments spent reflectively opening another beer. “But I have two questions: what if a developer refuses to do their 5%? And how do we provide services for all these folks spread throughout the city?”

“I have no doubt that a 5% requirement would cause some spot rezoning projects to be cancelled. I say, if a proponent is not prepared to do their 5% bit for the good of the city, then we are better off without them. And let’s be clear that I see this as appropriate only for spot rezonings. Private sector projects following existing zoning have already agreed to the rules, rather than flouting them as spot rezonings do, so they should be exempt from the 5% requirement and receive a bonus of some kind if they sign on.”

I also opened another beer before answering: “As to how we provide necessary support services throughout the city, that goes to a rejuvenation and rethinking of the neighbourhood planning offices we used to have around the city. But before we go there, we need to talk about affordability, the other key element of our condition and our opportunity.”

What Vancouver can’t do about Homelessness

Three days ago I read an article advising that only 0.5% of recent federal funding for housing for the homeless has been funnelled to Vancouver, while 50% has gone to Toronto, 10,000% more than Vancouver. Without our fair share of federal and provincial funding, our options are limited regardless of what form housing for the homeless takes. Funding for ongoing support and facility management is also required, and is the responsibility of senior levels of government.

The Time for Action is Here and Now

The additional four What Vancouver can do about… conversations that follow are my continuing take on actionable homelessness, housing insecurity, neighbourhood planning and related policies that our next civic government should focus on—what we can actually achieve versus what we might aspire to (and waste taxpayer money on). They may or may not be the detailed policies of any civic party, but are most closely aligned to TEAM for a Livable Vancouver.

Vancouver’s civic election is October 15th of this year. Lots more damage can still be done to our city before that date—and it will continue, and worsen, unless TEAM elects the next Mayor and a majority (6 of 10) City Councillors—less than 6 and not much will change for the better. If you are concerned that the City Conversations you’ve been reading are examples of what’s wrong with our city, feel some affinity to my What Vancouver can do about… conversations and want to bring back Vancouver’s livability, join TEAM and work with us to restore Vancouver as a place we can all afford to call home.

And please let me know what other subjects you are passionate about so we can have that conversation before election day, October 15th.

---

Today’s questions: Do you think these foundational principles can work? Are they worth trying? What aspects do you like/dislike? Where do you think I have missed or hit the mark?

I read and respond to all comments made below. If you enjoyed this post, consider becoming a free subscriber to City Conversations at

 

I am a Vancouver-based architect, building envelope and building code consultant and LEED Accredited Professional (the first green building system). I am semi-retired for the moment, still teaching and writing, so not beholden to any client or city hall. City Conversations mix real discussion with research and observations based on my 40+ year career including the planning, design and construction of almost every type and scale of project. I am the author of the award winning Amazon best seller “An Architect’s Guide to Construction.” I am also a member of TEAM for a livable Vancouver, a new political party dedicated to restoring a livable Vancouver starting with the 2022 civic election. Although I am not a candidate for TEAM or any other civic party, City Conversations are generally congruent with TEAM policy, so if you like the ideas that I’m writing about, please consider joining TEAM.