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26 Mar 09

Vancouver’s housing habit

"Money hasn't saved Canada's most blighted neighbourhood, the drug-infested Downtown Eastside. Resources aren't wanting; it's estimated that $1-million is shovelled into the area every day to pay for myriad services and examples of social housing not seen in other communities. "

Interesting indictment of the poverty industry, too.

www.nationalpost.com/...story.html - Preview

vancouver housing affordable_housing homelessness social_disorder

07 Jan 09

Chris Keam: Making The Most of Micro Homes

Blog post by Chris Keam about a design project called "Homes for Less," done by students at the Emily Carr University of Art and Design and at the University of British Columbia's Centre for Advanced Wood. The students had to create homes (compact) that could be built for under $1500. The results were on view on Granville Island (till 11/14/08).

One thing that strikes me with these microhomes - and the ones built by the Madhousers group - is that they would be claustrophobic (literally) for some of the hardcore homeless. In that regard, the "Stop-Gap housing" proposal by Vancouver architect Henriquez seems better, insofar as his proposed modular homes could be customized to leave one side completely open to nature/ outside. This is preferred by some people, especially those who need a transition period to get back into the idea of living within 4 walls.

www.chriskeam.com/...aking-most-of-micro-homes.html - Preview

homelessness affordable_housing microhomes ecuad vancouver

01 Jan 09

A Christmas essay: a better way to help the homeless

Article published in Seattle-based Crosscut about an initiative out of Vancouver to build "Stop Gap Housing" (as per architect Gregory Henriquez), essentially fixed mobile/modular homes, for people who are homeless. Article continues over 2 pages.

crosscut.com/...18728 - Preview

homelessness vancouver housing affordable_housing modular british_columbia crosscut

A plan to house Vancouver's homeless is taking shape on the drawing board of a local architect. It calls for the rapid erection of temporary villages assembled from the same type of modular units that mining companies provide for remote workers.

"Stop Gap Housing" is what architect Gregory Henriquez calls it.
7 more annotations...
- we've gotten to the point where the numbers of homeless are so staggering that I'm left wondering if we will ever catch up doing it that way. I don't think we can. I think there has to be a stop-gap measure. And that's what this is."
- Henriquez, whose Woodward's includes 200 units of social housing built to last hundreds of years, stressed that Stop Gap Housing would never replace permanent homes.
  
  "It's portable dwellings. It's not meant to be a permanent fixture on the landscape. But it could serve for several years until we complete the construction of permanent housing," he said. "I think it's better than leaving people homeless."
- And if built quickly, the modular housing plan even holds the potential to transform the 2010 Winter Games from an international embarrassment — during which the world would discover that British Columbia built multi-million-dollar condos for 5,000 Olympic athletes while doing nothing to house its legion of more than 10,000 homeless — into a showcase of Canadian compassion.
- "They use these all over the Athabaska tar sands," Henriquez said. "They call it workforce housing."
- individual units — with ensuite bathrooms and fronts that open directly to the outdoors — would be more acceptable to individuals not accustomed to coping with neighbors, as well as to those reluctant to give up pets or bicycles.
- the crux of Vancouver's exploding homelessness problem is as follows: social and economic dislocation is rendering British Columbians homeless much faster than BC Housing can build homes for them.
  
  "The big issue has to do with permitting," Henriquez said. "For a normal social housing building, you might need rezoning, then you need a development permit, then a building permit. That takes years."
  
  But Stop Gap Homes would rest on wooden blocking, not permanent foundations.
  
  "These can all be done through temporary permitting," Henriquez said. "It's a 12-month permit that can be renewed."
- If combined with the reopening of almost 500 shuttered hotel rooms recently identified by the Carnegie Community Action Project, the Stop Gap plan would provide enough homes to house nearly all of the 1,547 individuals found in Vancouver during the spring 2008 homeless count, and leave hundreds of shelter beds left over for the newcomers expected to arrive as the 2010 Games approach.
  - Only 1547 homeless in Vancouver's count? Victoria had well over 1000, yet is so much smaller than Vancouver. How come we have so many homeless here? - on 2009-01-01
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