City Council is working hard to address our community’s most difficult challenges. We will continue to provide leadership and work in partnership with senior levels of government to deliver positive change for all our citizens.
Mayor Sullivan & Councillor Kim Capri have introduced Project Civil City to reduce aggressive panhandling, homelessness and the open drug market while increasing access to supportive housing.
The following is a summary of housing progress over the past 18 months:
- helped secure approximately 1300 permanent, transitional & sheltered housing units for vulnerable people suffering from mental illness & addiction – in partnership with BC Premier Gordon Campbell
- $95 million investment for 250 unit Southeast False Creek affordable housing project — resulting in a 23% set-aside for non-market housing units plus 120 market rental units secured for 20 years
- started to implement Homeless Action Plan & initiated the Dobell/Fairbairn study to identify public/private social housing partnerships
- invested almost $17 million to develop high quality social & supportive housing in the Pennsylvania Hotel, Helping Spirit Lodge, Kindred Place and other sites in the city
- encouraged BC to increase welfare rates — with success
- supported policies to preserve access to affordable rental housing
- proceeding with downtown Woodward’s housing development
- Other accomplishments related to achieving this goal include:
- supported Four Pillars Coalition & Chronic Addiction Substitution Treatment (CAST) research program to substitute legal medications for criminal drugs
- supported establishment of Vancouver Community Court to help address public disorder
- advocated for regional mental health investments — including Riverview facility
- proposed Vancouver Charter changes to increase fines for public disorder
- funding to Vancouver Police Department for over 140 new full time positions
- improved police complaints process & invested over $30 million for police training facilities and new police/fire boat
- acted on recommendations from Project Civil City consultation process & appointed former BC Attorney General Geoff Plant as Civil City Commissioner
