Learn about the "Supportive Housing" development at West 7th/8th at Arbutus and what's being proposed behind the scenes.
Let us know if you'd like to support our community efforts to help guide this proposed housing development.
Regardless of where you live, in Kitsilano or on the West Side, this proposal will affect you for years to come. You have a voice.
We welcome housing that supports those at risk. We also want to be a part of initiatives that provide much-needed social and non-market housing options in all communities, including Kitsilano.
However, BC Housing's own definition of "Supportive Housing" is more specific than they would like our community to believe — and is worded carefully to dismiss concerns.
We support social housing in our immediate neighbourhood that's inclusive and that takes care of our most vulnerable, including women and children.
This community wants to contribute meaningful input into ANY development plans and proposals before they are submitted for approval.
So far, BC Housing has not been transparent or accountable to the community through its neighbourhood dialogue sessions and direct conversations.
The proposed development is immediately adjacent to a school, daycare centre and children's park. It's also within blocks of many more schools, daycare centres and community centres.
Any plans or development proposals need to consider the overall safety and wellbeing of the community first.
In reality, though, no plans or proposals have been presented so far that address the safety concerns of many of the residents in the neighbourhood.
Kitsilano is a generous, inclusive and welcoming community of people. Assisted housing at the right scale, with a considered mix of residents and personalized supports, makes sense.
However, this is not reflected by the current BC Housing proposal which was designed as a fast-tracked, band-aid solution to a far-reaching problem for one single-use group. Furthermore, due to the proposed unit mix, it discriminates against single mothers and fathers, as well as young families.
The proposal does not take any community considerations into account and does not integrate any recovery services. Instead, we believe it will foster stigma and isolation with the very people it's intended to help.
Yet again, this current Mayor and Council seem to forget they were elected to represent the interests of all Vancouverites...
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There are many units and varying types of social housing already in Kitsilano that are embraced and supported by the community because their scale and number of residents make sense in the context of the neighbourhood, and there are appropriate supports in place where they are needed.
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Much of the feedback around BC Housing’s plan to build 140 units of supportive housing at 8th and Arbutus has pointed to how utterly out of scale the physical building itself is in relation to the rest of the community.
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