$225M IN HOUSING INVESTMENTS TO CREATE 1,006 NEW HOMES

May 25th, 2010

VANCOUVER – The Province of British Columbia, City of Vancouver and the Streetohome Foundation are partnering to provide more than 1,000 new supportive-housing units in Vancouver, Premier Gordon Campbell announced today.

“These new investments will make a significant difference in improving the lives of more than 1,000 people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness,” said Premier Campbell. “I want to thank all the partners who have come together to improve the lives of people looking for safe and secure housing.”

The 1,006 new supportive-housing units will be located on eight sites owned by the City of Vancouver. The Province is providing $205 million and the Streetohome Foundation is providing $20 million towards construction as part of a new agreement that will see the foundation raise money from the private sector. The City of Vancouver provided the eight sites announced today valued at about $32 million.

“We firmly believe that permanent housing with the appropriate supports is going to improve the quality of life for those on the street, or who are at risk of becoming homeless,” said John McLernon, chair of the Streetohome Foundation. “This is a major step forward in our goal to bridge the housing gap in Vancouver, and today we are announcing the first donation of $5 million from Frank Giustra, Streetohome Campaign Chair, toward our capital campaign.”

The eight new projects are in addition to six projects previously announced by the Province and the City that will see 569 new supportive housing apartments. Combined, the 14 sites will provide 1,575 new units, create more than 2,100 direct jobs and represent a capital investment of $333.4 million. The City has contributed 14 parcels of land valued at about $64 million to the overall project. Construction on the original six sites has already begun. Construction on the remaining eight sites will begin this year subject to final municipal approvals.

“This new partnership demonstrates the commitment of the private sector to join the Province and the City in our collective effort to build new supportive housing for those who are homeless,” said Housing and Social Development Minister Rich Coleman. “A major source of funding for the 14 City-owned sites is the proceeds from the sale and redevelopment of Little Mountain, so the legacy of Little Mountain not only replaces all the social housing on that site, but helps to make possible the creation of more than a thousand new supportive apartments.”

“Today?s funding commitment is a huge step forward for providing some of our most vulnerable citizens with a safe, permanent place to call home,” said Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson. “We?ve got a lot of work left to do, but the development of these eight sites of social housing will move us significantly closer to our goal of ending street homelessness in Vancouver by 2015.”

Katherine Sanford Housing Society is among the non profit operators that will manage the housing, along with other non profits who will provide tenant supports that will make these supportive housing developments successful.

“Today?s announcement of secured funding for sites in Vancouver is very welcome news,” said Bonnie Rice, executive director for Katherine Sanford Housing Society. “Providing more housing options in every neighbourhood will allow individuals requiring supported housing to remain in their own community.”

Since 2001, the Province has built more than 14,000 new affordable housing units and another 4,176 are currently planned or under construction across B.C. In Vancouver, 2,070 new affordable housing units have been built, with an additional 1,575 to be built on the 14 sites.

In addition, the Province has purchased 26 single-room occupancy hotels securing 1,550 rooms for people at risk of being homeless. Twenty-four of those hotels and approximately 1,400 of those rooms are located in Vancouver.

In 2010-11, B.C.?s budget for social housing is approximately $562 million, more than four times as much as in 2001.

'Breaking the Cycle of Homelessness' is a website providing a comprehensive and detailed look at provincial programs and services to address homelessness. Visit www.bchousing.org/breakingthecycle for more information.

For more information on the Streetohome Foundation, visit www.streetohome.org.

BACKGROUNDER
$225 IN HOUSING INVESTMENTS TO CREATE 1,006 NEW HOMES

The funding for the following eight new supportive housing sites is in addition to funding for six other sites announced in March, 2009. Construction is underway on all six sites. According to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) agreement between the Province and the City of Vancouver, funding for the City-owned sites will include half of the net proceeds from the redevelopment of Little Mountain.

Address	Number of apartments	Non-Profit Housing Society	Estimated Project Capital Cost*	Estimated Number of Direct Jobs
7 ^th and Fir	62	Katherine Sanford Housing Society/Motivation, Power and Achievement Society	$13.4 million	86
1233 – 1251 Howe	110	McLaren Housing Society	$22.3 million	143
215 W. 2 ^nd	147	Katherine Sanford Housing Society/RainCity Housing and Support Society	$34.2 million	219
1134 Burrard	141	Kettle Friendship Society/Family Services of Greater Vancouver	$30.4 million	194
590 Alexander St.	139	PHS Community Services Society	$31.2 million	200
675 E. Broadway	127	Vancouver Native Housing Society/Broadway Youth Resources Centre	$28.3 million	181
606 Powell	147	RainCity Housing and Support Society	$34.6 million	221
1050 Expo Blvd.	133	127 Society for Housing/St. James Community Services Society	$30.6 million	196

Totals 1,006 apartments $225 million 1,440 jobs

*Capital Cost excludes value of municipal land contribution

Six sites currently under construction in Vancouver

Address	Number of apartments	Non-Profit Housing Society	Estimated capital cost*	Estimated Number of Direct Jobs
1338 Seymour St.	105	More Than a Roof	$18.7 million	120
1005 Station St.	80	PHS Community Services Society	$16.7 million	107
337 West Pender St.	96	Coast Mental Health	$19 million	122
188 East 1 ^st Ave.	129	Lookout Emergency Aid Society	$22.8 million	146
525 Abbott St.	108	Atira Women’s Resource Society	$20.8 million	133
3595 West 17th Ave.	51	Coast Mental Health	$10.4 million	67

Totals 569 apartments $108.4 million 695 jobs

*Capital Cost excludes value of municipal land contribution

Provincial Housing Investments in Vancouver
Today’s announcement is part of the Province’s significant investment in housing in Vancouver since 2006, as part of the provincial housing strategy, Housing Matters BC.

Highlights include:
New Supportive Housing

$333.4 million has been allocated for the 14 City-owned sites where 1,575 new apartments will be created to alleviate homelessness.

Single Room Occupancy Hotels

The Province has also spent $86 million to purchase 24 SROs in Vancouver that were facing conversion into more expensive forms of housing.
$54 million is being spent on renovations to improve the approximately 1,400 rooms.

Emergency Shelters and Homeless Outreach

There are currently just over 600 year-round emergency shelter beds available in Vancouver, receiving annual funding of nearly $17 million.
Most are now open 24/7 to offer better services and access to more permanent forms of housing and support.
Approximately $900,000 in annual funding is provided through the Homeless Outreach Program, so outreach workers with non-profit societies can connect people who are street-homeless to housing and support services.
Permanent housing was found for 1,220 shelter and homeless outreach clients in the Downtown Eastside in 2009.

Existing Affordable Housing

More than $130 million is being spent on social housing renovations in Vancouver, to improve some of the older of the 26,000 provincially-subsidized units in Vancouver that receive nearly $105 million in funding every year.
These 26,000 provincially-subsidized units include nearly 1,000 low-income working family households who receive monthly subsidies of approximately $350 each for private market rental housing through the Rental Assistance Program.
It also includes more than 2,400 seniors’ households who receive monthly subsidies of approximately $150 each for private market rental housing through the Shelter Aid for Elderly Renters (SAFER) program.

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Media Contacts:
Susan Thom
VP, Corporate Communications
BC Housing
604 230-1301 (cell)

Bridgitte Anderson
Press Secretary
Office of the Premier
604 307-7177

Corporate Communications
City of Vancouver
Media Line
604 871-6336

Nicole Adams
Director of Communications and Community Relations
Streetohome Foundation
604 629-2711 x505

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