Vancouver’s homeless numbers skyrocket

Good morning,

They’re calling it the end of an era.

Some are comparing it to the fall of the Roman Empire.

I am, of course, talking about Conde Nast ranking Victoria as one of the best cities in the world, and excluding Vancouver. I don’t know if Vancouver will ever get over it. But as someone who lived for five years in Victoria and visits often, I’m not sure I’d agree the city “embraces adventure” when one of its biggest attractions is expensive afternoon tea.

But I digress! In today’s newsletter, we’ve got:

• 📈 Vancouver’s skyrocketing homeless numbers

• 💰️ Why some rental rates rising in order to build more units

• 📆 A list of events this weekend

As always, the holiday on Monday means no newsletter that day.

Let’s get to it.

— Geoff Sharpe, Vancity newsletter writer

PS — You may notice more typos than normal. My colleague Robert, who reviews the newsletter, will be away for a while, so more errors than normal may slip through. We’re all part-time on the newsletter, so apologies in advance!

CITY

Vancouver’s homeless numbers skyrocket

It appears that the only thing rising faster than housing prices is the number of homeless people in Vancouver.

What happened: The Metro Vancouver homeless count, the first since the onset of COVID, has identified 4,821 people who are homeless, which is the highest ever, according to CTV. But the organization running the count, the Homelessness Services Association of B.C., says that number should be considered the lowest possible and is likely much higher since counting many people.

• This represents a 32 percent increase since 2020.

Breaking it down: Vancouver, Surrey and Burnaby had the highest increase. Vancouver has 2,420 homeless people, which is the highest since the tracking began and is up 16 percent since 2020. As pointed out by CBC reporter Justin McElroy, Vancouver has the highest number, but Surrey had the greatest increase. More suburban locations also had higher percentage increases.

The biggest reason cited by respondents for why they were homeless was not having enough income (35 percent), followed by substance abuse issues (24 percent), according to Urbanized.

• The most concerning statistic? Thirty-two percent of respondents were Indigenous, while making up two percent of the population.

Context: There is a clear link in research between higher-cost housing and higher homelessness. Research has shown that as housing prices rise, homelessness also tends to increase. Issues such as substance abuse are less tied to the causes of homelessness than the cost of living. One study in America showed that when households spent more than 32 percent of their income on rent, homelessness rapidly rose.

• For context, the average household income in Vancouver, according to the census data, is $82,000. The average rent for a one-bedroom is around $3,000 a month, meaning households spend 43 percent of their income on housing.

Busting a myth?: One persistent myth in Vancouver is that homeless residents flood the city from other jurisdictions. But according to the data, 64 percent of people have been in their community for more than five years.

What it means: This data backs up what everyone in Vancouver can see — the visible homeless crisis has only gotten worse, never mind that the majority of homeless people aren’t actually on the street. Until more affordable housing is built, the homelessness crisis will only grow.

VANCOUVER NUMBERS

🏘️ 49%: The increase in housing starts in Vancouver in the first six months of the year. Vancouver and Toronto were the only ones to register an increase compared to last year. [RCI]

⛽️ 7 cents: The expected cost gas will have dropped by this morning. The price is expected to be around $1.75 per litre. [CityNews]

➕ $718 million: Canada’s merchandise trade surplus in August, up from the expected deficit of $1.5 billion because of the port strike. That’s good news for Canada’s economy. [Reuters]

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HOUSING

City votes to raise rents to build more rental housing

Is the key to building more affordable housing increasing rents…? Yes, according to a proposed plan by the city.

What happened: Following recommendations from city staff, council unanimously passed a motion to change moderate income rental housing from being based on median incomes to 20 percent below average citywide rents based on the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation data, according to the Vancouver Sun. The old rate was set at 30 percent of incomes.

Rents can also be increased after a tenant leaves to that new 20 percent number. It’s expected these changes will get more rental homes built.

• The type of housing they’re talking about is non-market rentals, meaning the cost is below the average market rental price, so middle-income households can afford it.

Why the change: The answer is simple — nothing got built. The program incentivized developers by removing development fees in exchange for those affordable rental units. But not one building has been completed since the program launched seven years ago, according to CBC reporter Justin McElroy.

• Nine of the projects are under construction, three are planning to be rezoned and four are still waiting for approval of their rezoning application, according to CBC.

Zoom out: The changing financial situation means fewer rental homes are being built. 8,350 market rentals and 1,150 below-market homes are in the pipeline, which, when compared to the average of 500 that are typically built every year, represent a sizable number

• Part of the reason for the change is to hit the provincially-mandated housing targets for affordable rental units.

Some weren’t impressed with the change, including economist and housing researcher Alex Hemmingway.

Yes, but: While there has been pushback against the change, it should be noted the rents are not designed for the lowest-income households, but for moderate-income ones.

THE AGENDA

🏘️ Thought home prices would go down with higher interest rates? That’s funny… Home prices are up 4.4 percent to $1.2 million from September 2022. With that said, more homes are being listed, which could, if trends hold like in Toronto, pressure prices downwards. [CBC]

💉 In a big move, the province has responded to pressure to deal with the unintended consequences of drug decriminalization by introducing legislation to ban drug consumption in most public places, essentially walking back the legalization earlier this year. It’s designed to address pushback against the policy, especially from cities, many of whom passed their own restrictions. Meanwhile, the province is still struggling to build more treatment facilities… [CBC]

🏨 Granville Street could see a new 400-room hotel at the corner of Davie and Granville, with a new rezoning application that was submitted this week. Many stakeholder groups are welcoming the new development. The city is seeking to revitalize and modernize the Granville strip. [CTV]

👮 One person was hospitalized after a stabbing in the Downtown Eastside on Thursday. Police haven’t arrested anyone. [CityNews]

CITY HALL

Cones, fluff and votes

Here’s a quick breakdown of city hall news this week.

Pause unpaused: A controversy isn’t stopping the city from funding the Atira Women’s Resource Society. Council unanimously approved an $800,000 grant for the centre after they previously paused funding due to a conflict of interest scandal. The money is going to non-profit housing programs. [CBC]

Feds impact: Could we see big zoning changes in Vancouver? The federal Minister of Housing called on Mississauga to enact four storeys within 800 metres of LRT, while Vancouver’s rules do not allow this anywhere. [Twitter]

Fluff?: A new interview with Ken Sim starts with him talking about his favourite music and ends with some positive words about hosting FIFA. So, is it a fluff piece, or does it give people additional insight into how the mayor is thinking about the city’s biggest issues? You be the judge by reading the story. [Vancouver Magazine]

Council also voted in favour of the following:

• Adding childcare spaces and housing for childcare workers on city-owned land. [CTV]

• Asking staff to look into view cone corridors to understand how they impact housing, jobs and public amenities. [Twitter]

• Requesting a study of rapid transit along Hastings from Vancouver to Hastings Park/PNE. Councillors Carr, Fry and Boyle opposed the motion. It’s different from the original plan of rapid transit on 41st/49th Avenue and must be approved by the Mayor’s Council. [Urbanized]

HOLIDAY

What’s open and closed on Monday

Here’s some quick information on what’s open and closed this holiday Monday, according to Daily Hive:

• Malls, grocery stores, liquor stores and pharmacies should have similar hours as normal

• TransLink operating on Sunday service levels

• ICBC, Canada Post and Banks will be closed

EVENTS

Harvest Days | VanDusen Botanical Garden | Oct. 7-29, 9 am | The maze and veggie garden will be transformed into an entertainment spot with food, activities and entertainment | Free

Vancouver International Film Festival | Various spots around town | Now until Oct. 8 | Vancouver’s biggest film festival is back, with some films for everyone | Tickets at various prices

Star Wars: A New Hope In Concert | Vancouver Symphony Orchestra | Oct. 5-6, 7 pm | Come see A New Hope with a live orchestra | Tickets start at $21

Fright Night | PNE | Oct. 6-31, 6 pm to 11 pm | Come see the terrifying haunted houses, rides and performances | Tickets $35

Discover Japan | Pacific Arts Market | Oct. 7, 1 pm-5 pm | An interactive workshop, including origami, calligraphy and language lessons | Tickets $11

Nightmare Before Christmas Market | Croatian Cultural Center | Oct 7-8, 11 am-4 pm | Tickets

Trauma-Informed Financial Support Group | Virtual | October 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th, November 4th, and November 11th @ 11 am - 2 pm | An educational and processing series for folks struggling to feel secure in their finances and find supportive community | Tickets sliding scale, $0-$249*

Teen Angst Night | Fox Cabaret | Thursday, October 19, 8-10 pm | A comedic reading series of embarrassing old notebooks | Fox Cabaret | $20 in advance or $25 at the door*

Koozai Cirque du Soleil | Under the Big Top, Concord Pacific Place | Oct. 21-31 | Clows plus the art of acrobatics, what’s not to love? | Tickets $55

ABRA Cadabra - Tribute to Music & Magic of Abba | River Rock Casino Resort | Oct. 23, 7 pm | Celebrate the music and magic of Abba’s music performed by a popular cover band | Ticket $67

AROUND THE WORLD

Here’s an interesting policy New York is adopting to curb noise.

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Get ready for the annular solar eclipse on Oct. 14, along with two meteor showers on Oct. 8 and sometime between Oct. 21-22.

• Local Vancouverite James Gill is on a mission to high-five everyone on the planet. He’s chronicling his journey on TikTok. [Vancouver is Awesome]

• Bad news for train fans — the Ghost Train will once again not be running this Halloween because of safety issues. [Twitter]

• But good news for bike fans — popular bike shop La Bicicletta Bicycles, which had filed for bankruptcy, was bought by another company that plans to keep the brand going. [Daily Hive]

• Popular spot Oca Pastaficio is rebranding to Magari by Oca, after the leading chef died suddenly. [Vancouver is Awesome]

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GAME TIME

Think you can guess this week’s Vancouver Wordle? Play now.