A few weeks ago, Mayor Ken Sim, who leads the ABC Party, dropped a bombshell announcement about his plans for the Downtown Eastside, including a proposed ban on new supportive housing across Vancouver.
There was a lot of backlash.
The motion is coming to council for a vote on Wednesday, February 26th.
Let's break down what's happening, why it matters, and what you can do.
Want to skip straight to action?
Join the Watch Council Drop-In Session on February 24th to learn more and get personalized advocacy support.
Email city council and tell them you oppose the ban on supportive housing and want them to work with community on real solutions.
Speak at the February 26th council meeting against Motion 3, "Temporarily Pausing Net-New Supportive Housing Investments in Vancouver to Prioritize Replacing Existing Stock and Promoting Regional Equity."
Attend the Our Homes Can't Wait rally at city hall on February 26th at 1:00pm.
Sign and share the Coordinated Community Response Network's open letter.
ABC's Proposal
At a Save Our Streets forum, Sim told an audience of politicians, police, and business leaders that he wanted to:
Pause new supportive housing units city-wide until other municipalities build more.
Increase police funding to crack down on street-level crime.
Change zoning to encourage more market housing and fewer shelters, supportive housing units, and social services.
Sim and ABC also criticized the "poverty-industrial complex," a derogatory reference to the front-line service providers who work tirelessly to help marginalized residents access food, employment, shelter, cultural support, and healthcare.
The Backlash
The criticism came swiftly from multiple directions...
Local residents shared concerns about losing their homes and community at the Carnegie Housing Project's standing-room-only town hall.
The Minister of Housing said that ABC's plan could increase crime.
The CEO of the BC Non-Profit Housing Association checked Sim's math on whether or not Vancouver was doing its fair share to address homelessness.
Councillor Rebecca Bligh, who ran with Sim in the 2022 election, said the plan "made no sense" and questioned "what's really behind it." A few weeks later, she was booted from the ABC party.
Guy Felicia, a harm reduction and addictions advocate with lived experience, told reporters that "this is more of a punishment to poor people instead of supporting them."
Six Order of Canada recipients pointed out that building supportive housing will "cost far less than paying for homeless shelters, hospital care, mental health hospitalization or jail."
Several Metro Vancouver Mayors pushed back, with Surrey Mayor Branda Locke noting that Vancouver also has a concentration of hospitals relative to the region and challenging Sim to "do some homework."
The Motion
ABC's motion is finally public. While it's a watered-down version of what was initially proposed (perhaps they heard some of the blowback and softened the language), it still represents a regressive vision for the community.
There are several "exceptions" to the supportive housing ban, like housing for women, seniors, and youth. That may sound like good news, but it also reveals what this ban is really about: low-barrier services for people experiencing homelessness, who use drugs, or who have mental health challenges.
As an intersectional feminist organization, we firmly believe that targeting one marginalized community harms all marginalized communities.
Here are some reasons why:
Seniors, women, and youth may also use drugs or have loved ones who use drugs. They deserve housing regardless.
There's no mention of supportive housing for trans people, people with disabilities, and Indigenous people.
Leaving people out on the streets and dispersing them to neighbourhoods with fewer support systems makes them less safe and the community less safe.
The groups who are tolerated today may become the ones who are demonized tomorrow.
We need our leaders to work in meaningful partnership with the people closest to the very real and pressing safety challenges in the Downtown Eastside and the low-barrier housing systems––leaders who are willing to do the hard work of understanding the challenges this community faces and garnering support for evidence-based solutions.
This motion does the opposite. It focuses on blaming one group while offering little in the way of solutions for everyone else.
We've seen this playbook before. Those focused on division rather than solutions often attempt to divide marginalized communities against each other. We can't fall for that.
Supportive housing is a system––a system that aims to help people. Removing one part, like low-barrier housing, weakens the whole structure.
Take Action
If You're Part of an Organization
The Coordinated Community Response Network (CCRN), a collective of organizations in the Downtown Eastside, wrote an open letter urging the mayor to work with the community and "shift the conversation from blame to real, inclusive action."
More than 50 non-profits, housing providers, labour groups, and businesses across the city have signed it. If you're involved with an organization, invite them to sign the letter in solidarity.
If You Want to Tell Council What You Think
Multiple councillors are opposed or on the fence about ABC's plan. The more they hear from us, the more likely they'll be to vote against it––or at least consider improvements to engage with the community.
The best emails are short and to the point – simply telling council that you don't support this direction. You might tell them what supportive housing means to you or that they should consider consulting with the Ministry of Housing about the estimated 700+ units of social housing Vancouver needs to build to meet the targets established by the province.
Send an email to these addresses:
ken.sim@vancouver.ca, rebecca.bligh@vancouver.ca, lisa.dominato@vancouver.ca, pete.fry@vancouver.ca, sarah.kirby-yung@vancouver.ca, mike.klassen@vancouver.ca, peter.meiszner@vancouver.ca, brian.montague@vancouver.ca, lenny.zhou@vancouver.ca
You can also tell council what you think by speaking at our calling into the council meeting on February 26th. Local government is one of the few places where we get to talk directly to our elected officials, and it can be very powerful. Check out our How to Speak to Council resource to help you know what to expect and craft your speech.
The deadline to register is Tuesday, February 25th at 5:00 pm.
If You Want Support and Advice
We know navigating civic systems can be challenging, but we're here to help. Join our Watch Council Drop-in session on Monday, February 24th at 12:00 pm. These virtual meetings provide an informal space for personalized support from WTC staff on civic engagement, advocacy, and navigating local government systems.
We can walk through the implications of a city policy or motion, tell you what you can expect if you speak at a council meeting, or even help you write and practice your speech.
If You Want to Stand in Solidarity with the Community
A coalition of Downtown Eastside Organizations, residents, and allies are holding a rally at city hall to protest ABC's proposals for and rhetoric about the community.
Support those who this plan will harm most by coming together and raising our voices.
The rally will take place on Wednesday, February 26th at 1:00pm at city hall.
The Downtown Eastside, and all low-income and marginalized communities who are hurt by this policy direction, need to know we have their backs right now.
We can stop harmful proposals like this from going ahead. We did it recently when we fought against ABC's plans to put methane back in buildings. And we can do it again if we work together.
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