St Paul’s Hospital could put people on the street: Community group

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – A new hospital project could put more homeless people on the street. That is the warning from the Carnegie Community Action Project (CCAP) about the St Paul’s Hospital development.

It’s all because of gentrification.

Maria Wallstam is one of the organizers of CCAP, she forecasts that single room occupancy spaces in the area could be lost when the development is finished.

She says while the city pays lip service to ending homelessness, taking concrete action to keep people off of the street is lacking.

“You could strengthen the SRO bylaw to enforce rent control in the hotels, but they could also lease and buy the hotels that are most at risk.”

Wallstram says as many as 500 people could be forced to the street.

“It’s irresponsible for city council to say they want to end homelessness, and they want to build social housing and affordable housing, to go ahead with a development of this size in the Downtown Eastside without taking immediate measures to protect the existing low-income housing that’s there.”

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