For over 50 years, the City of Vancouver has been delivering, managing and facilitating affordable housing for people with low to moderate incomes. Despite the efforts and interventions of the City over several decades, affordability remains a problem for many households. What more can the City do? What is the role of other partners?
2. Role of the City
The City of Vancouver is actively involved
in housing, from advocacy to direct
service delivery.
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For over 50 years, the City of Vancouver
has been delivering, managing and
facilitating affordable housing for people
with low to moderate incomes.
3. Affordability Remains an Issue
Despite the efforts and interventions of the City over several
decades, affordability remains a problem for many households.
4. Housing & Strategy Focus Areas
The City recognizes affordability impacts the ability for the homeless
and people with low-incomes as well as people with more moderate
incomes to find a home in Vancouver.
The Mayor’s Task Force on Housing Affordability is seeking
innovative new ways to create more housing options for these residents
with lower and moderate incomes — household incomes between
$21,500 and $86,500.
The City of Vancouver’s Housing and Homelessness Strategy will
continue to seek solutions for ending homelessness and lower income
residents who will not find housing in the housing market as well as
secure rental housing and homeownership initiatives for more moderate
incomes.
5. History of Roles & Partnerships
However, no one government or agency can deliver all the solutions
to ensuring there is housing affordable to people with lower and
moderate incomes. Historically there have been significant
contributions from senior levels of governments.
The Federal Under fiscal restraints, BC
The Federal
Government greatly Housing and the City have
Government played a
major role funding and played a continuing role in
reduced its creating housing, especially
facilitating tens of
involvement, for people with the significant
thousands of family and
leaving provinces barriers to housing – people
seniors housing across
and municipalities with disabilities, the
Canada.
Since to identify and meet Since homeless, and the frail
Late local needs. 1993 1993 elderly.
1940s
6. City Role – Working with Partners
The City works with many government, private sector and non-profit
partners to expand affordable housing options. From research and
advocacy to building and finance, partners are a mandatory component to
the city’s role in providing affordable housing in Vancouver.
7. City Role – Policy & Programs
Requiring major residential rezonings to
include 20% non-market housing.
Planning “new neighbourhoods” through
redevelopment of former industrial lands such
as False Creek, Coal Harbour, and East
Fraserlands.
Providing financial and other incentives for
developers to build new market rental
housing.
Adopting a Housing and Homelessness
Strategy, 2012-2021 with specific targets to
create new affordable housing.
8. City Role – Regulation
Encouraging secondary suites and laneway
housing and flexible lock-off suites in apartments.
Protecting affordable Single Room Occupancy
(SRO) hotels for people with low incomes by
requiring to obtain Council approval to demolish or
convert.
Protecting rental housing by requiring one-for-one
rental unit replacements for projects of 6 or more
units.
9. City Role – Buy & Lease
Pursuing opportunities to buy land for the
development of future non-market housing.
Recently, the City, in partnership with BC
Housing, Streetohome and Vancouver Coastal
Health provided 1,500 units of supported housing.
Leasing land at below market rates to non-profit
societies to build non-market housing. Areas
including False Creek and Coal Harbour are
recent examples.
10. City Role – Landlord & Tenant
Assistance
Owning and operating social housing. The City
owns and operates 750 units of housing for lower
income. Many of these are in the Downtown
Eastside, such as Antoinette Lodge, Alexander
Residence, and Oppenheimer Lodge.
The City also operates a Tenant Assistance
Program that provides advice and assistance to
people struggling to secure housing.
11. City Role – Finance
Providing financial assistance. The City has a
Capital Plan it may utilize to provide capital
financial assistance to non-profit societies for
affordable housing.
Reducing costs of providing housing. The City
can reduce or waive property taxes for non-
profit housing and reduce development cost
charges and other site-related fees.
12. Working with Policy & Regulatory
Partners Programs Tools
The City’s Roles in Housing
Owned & Landlord &
Financial
leased Tenant
Tools
lands Assistance
