The Metropolis of Vancouver says it won’t approve any new development of recent supportive housing models within the metropolis as it really works to rework the Downtown Eastside (DTES).
“The Downtown Eastside displays our metropolis’s resilience, but additionally its struggles,” Sim mentioned on the Save Our Streets Forum. “For too lengthy, a whole bunch of thousands and thousands of {dollars} have been spent with out delivering significant change. It’s time for a brand new route — one which prioritizes restoration, inclusivity, and public security whereas integrating the DTES into the broader Vancouver neighborhood.”
In what Sim known as a pivotal second within the metropolis’s method to addressing dependancy, crime and housing challenges within the DTES, he outlined three proposed coverage shifts.
The primary is an replace of the Downtown Eastside Space Plan to encourage a mixture of housing, companies, and companies. Sim mentioned this method will intention to interrupt the cycle of hyper-concentrated companies within the DTES, together with supportive housing, shelter companies, and social companies.
“This permits for the combination of the DTES neighbourhood into Vancouver’s broader neighborhood, guaranteeing a extra balanced, supportive atmosphere for residents, companies, and guests,” Sim mentioned in an announcement.
Town can even launch a city-wide crackdown on organized crime and gangs working within the DTES. Sim mentioned that in collaboration with the Vancouver Police Division, town will tackle street-entrenched violence by dismantling felony networks that exploit weak residents and undermine neighborhood security.
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Sim mentioned town can concentrate on renewing and revitalizing the present ageing housing inventory by pausing the development of internet new supportive housing models.
Vancouver presently homes 77 per cent of the area’s supportive housing, regardless of comprising solely 25 per cent of the area’s inhabitants, in keeping with town.
“We have to prioritize accountability, dignity, and restoration,” Sim mentioned. “We owe it to neighbourhood residents, Vancouverites, and all British Columbians to do higher, and we are going to.”
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