But home feels different. She says most of her belongings were taken by city staff and she faces growing uncertainty about where to go next. “Where else do they want us to go? said Anurov. “I’m mostly tired and exhausted from everything.” In July, the Vancouver Fire Department ordered the immediate removal of tents and structures along East Hastings due to “numerous urgent safety concerns.” Last week, city staff began the process of removing tents and other structures, forcing dozens of people who live in the area to move without other housing and shelter options. Anurov says she has no choice but to stay put, while others in the homeless community say those displaced are returning because they have nowhere to go. While the city said the cleanup was necessary to keep residents safe, advocates say they disagree with its approach because it breaks up the community and drives people into isolation — and they need more alternative housing options. The tents remain on East Hastings in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside a week after city staff began the process of removing them, citing a fire department order that the structures pose an extreme fire safety hazard. (CBC News)
Complete housing programs
Since the tent removal began, at least one or two people have been showing up each day to the Bloom Group Community Services Society, which offers housing support to residents on the Downtown Eastside But there’s no room for them, says executive director Elizabeth Barnett. Elizabeth Barnett says that since the tent removal began, people have been showing up at the Bloom Community Services Society every day looking for shelter. (Baneet Braich/CBC News) “We do our best to support people, but if the programs are full … there’s nowhere for people to go,” Barnett said, adding that she feels disappointed and angry at the way the city has handled the encampment. . “I’ve noticed more people in the alleys, in darker corners, people alone, more than I’ve seen before,” he said. Advocates worry that displacement means more people will only use potentially toxic drugs. “They have nowhere to go. So they’re going to be in the alleys using themselves and exponentially increasing the chance of death,” said Vince Tao, a community organizer with the advocacy group Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users. Tao said without adequate housing, “they’re just going to move right back to the same place the next day or just down the block.” He said the only solution to the issue is more housing options. According to the city’s website, as of 2019 more than 550 social and supportive homes have opened in Vancouver, which provide affordable housing and connections to off-site services such as health, mental health or substance use services. The city says it is also working with BC Housing to create about 350 new permanent supportive housing units. Permanent shelters and temporary modular homes also exist to provide relief to hundreds of people living without a home, according to the website. But there isn’t enough room to help the people just displaced from East Hastings, Barnett said. “Right now, you have three options: couch surf until you can’t anymore, live in subsidized housing if you can get in, or live on the street. There aren’t enough options,” he said. Tents in East Hastings are pictured being dismantled last Tuesday. (Ben Nelms/CBC) The state of some housing options like single occupancy hotels (SROs) and shelters make it preferable for some to sleep on the streets, says Lorissa Thordarson, who lives rough in the East Hastings area. “The buildings are disgusting. They’re full of bugs or rats… I don’t want to live in something like that,” he said.
The city says it supports housing needs
When CBC News asked the City of Vancouver where it expects evacuees to go, a spokesperson said staff are in daily conversations with BC Housing to support housing and housing needs. “City staff encourage and support the voluntary removal of tents and items and regularly share information in person with those evacuating outdoors,” an emailed statement said. He said the city’s outreach team is also working with BC Housing to refer people to be considered for housing. Tents in East Hastings are pictured being dismantled last Tuesday. Many displaced people are returning to the area. (Ben Nelms/CBC) In an earlier statement to CBC News, BC Housing said it does not have the necessary spaces to provide shelter to people being displaced in the Downtown Eastside. “We have been clear with the City of Vancouver and Vancouver Fire Rescue that, in the short term, we do not have access to a large number of new spaces in Vancouver to serve the emergency mandate schedule,” he said. Barnett says she would like the city to embrace a wider range of alternative housing, such as a campsite and more harm reduction facilities, as well as subsidies for landlords to support people. In the short term, he says he’d like to see police work with mental health and social workers when officers are sent out into the community. And in the meantime, he emphasizes the need for compassion. “You can’t deprive people of this community that they built with no other choice. It’s just absurd,” he said. The city has not said whether it plans to remove the tents that have remained or reappeared in East Hastings.
