Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside
Reporting & analysis
Housing, policy and community life.
The rental rescue funds that leave Vancouver’s SROs out
Canada has put $1.5 billion behind buying affordable rental homes. The rules leave out the residential hotels that Downtown Eastside tenant groups are trying to save.
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The Debt Behind the Deal
A supplier can offer credit, drugs and a way to earn, then demand repayment under threat. Published Downtown Eastside accounts show what keeps a worker tied to that arrangement. They also show what it can cost to leave.
The Changing Promise of 58 West Hastings
A safe home has changed residents’ lives at Bob & Michael’s Place. Behind that achievement is an unfinished argument over the rents and admission rules that decide who gets the same chance.
Another year to keep the washrooms open
Vancouver’s emergency washroom programs became services people rely on every day. Years later, keeping them open still depends on another grant, another extension, and now, a proposal for shorter hours.
The Freedom to Play Someone Else
A prison record tells one story about a person. At Heart of the City, The Circle Project’s artists offer others, through invented characters and costumes they helped create.
The Real Size of B.C.’s Police Expansion
Recruiting a larger police force starts with replacing the people who leave. B.C.’s incoming government faces that ongoing demand as it promises more help on the streets.
The Culture Crawl’s Permanent Address
Four days of open studios depend on places artists can keep using all year. The Culture Crawl’s 30th edition celebrates a newly secured home, with an anniversary exhibition at its society’s headquarters on East Hastings.
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