AHA Media

Media release -- October 22, 2010

DTES residents make surprise appearance at Mayor Robertson's Terminal
City Club City budget consultation

"Our priority is housing." Slogan from the October 22 surprise action
for housing.

On Friday a group of DTES residents and housing activists rallied at
the 100-year-old clubhouse of Vancouver big-business real estate to
demand housing be built above the new Hastings Street Library.
Surprise action organizer Tami Starlight, elected Steering Committee
member of the DTES Neighbourhood Council said, "It's incredible that
city council can pretend that building social housing or not is a
technical issue. This is the same council that brags about having the
lowest property tax rate in all the G8 countries, and the mayor is
holding a budget consultation with big business at the Terminal City
Club? Of course we're here to raise the issue of social housing. The
solution is simple: raise taxes on business and the rich. We want the
city to buy or designate 10 sites for social housing in our
neighbourhood before the next election. They can start with putting
social housing above our new library."

On October 7th, many from the same group had visited city hall to
oppose a recommendation from City Staff that the new library at 720 E.
Hastings be built as a stand-alone, without social housing as part of
the infrastructure. While council voted to send the recommendation
back to the city manager to see if funding could be found, they placed
harsh restrictions on their request -- that any housing addition must
not disrupt the timeline of the library's construction.

Tami Starlight continued, "City hall is playing political dodge-ball
with people's lives. This is a great opportunity to build two critical
resources for our community -- housing and a library. Council is
squandering this opportunity through political favoritism to a handful
of property owners who discriminate against poor people."

Richard Cunningham, board member of VANDU and elected steering
committee member of the DTES Neighbourhood Council said, "I am tired
of promises, promises, promises. I’m tired of being treated like a 3rd
class citizen in a 3rd world country. There’s all this money at
Olympic village. I don’t care about the politics of it but I do care
about my brothers and my sisters. You are spending money of frivolous
things but hey, we are human beings, so treat us with respect.”

About city council's claim that the promised 14 sites of housing will
solve the so-called "street homelessness" problem in Vancouver, Dave
Diewert of Streams of Justice said, "There were only 280 actual new
social housing units built in BC in the last 5 years, when you look
through the smoke and mirrors of announcements and there is not much
there. The DTES is the place and the priority to purchase land for
housing. When mayor Robertson says that he will solve the problem of
'street homelessness,' we know he means 'visible' homelessness. We
need enough social housing to end all homelessness.”

Nathan Compton, a member of VANACT!, speaking about the surprise
action and hinting at more to come, said, "We should have no faith in
the future when the city can’t guard and protect existing units.
Council gave a token 6 units at the American hotel, approving the
eviction of the tenants and the profiteering flip of the building.
Council has no plan for after 2013 even though they know it takes
4,5,6 years to bring more housing on line. We're making our own plans
for more actions to fight for housing.”

Finally, Dave Murray, CCAP volunteer and DNC member wrapped up the
intent of the surprise action by unveiling the full list of ten sites
DNC is demanding the city buy for housing before the next election.
Murray said, “I have been homeless, lived in hotels, I’ve slept in a
few doorways and parks and some laneways in Strathcona. This is really
a no brainer. We want you to buy 5 properties a year for social
housing and you don’t even have to buy the library site. This would be
1 down and 9 more to go." The other DTES sites Dave Murray unveiled
for the city to buy or designate as 100% social housing were:

1) Library on Hastings City owned
2) Buddhist Temple Prov owned empty building
3) Pigeon Park Savings Prov owned empty lot
4) 58 W. Hastings Empty lot
5) 549 and 553 E Cordova	Empty lots
6) Pantageous Theatre Empty buildings
7) 148 E Cordova Empty lot
8 Stadium Hotel on Cambie SRO for sale
9) 334 Carrall Empty building
10) 780 Main Empty lot

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For more information, contact:

Dave Murray, Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood Council, (778) 320-5823
Nathan Crompton, VanAct! (778) 628-6252
Tami Starlight, Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood Council (604) 790-9943

Below is a video of the Homeless Action at Terminal City Club in Vancouver

Below is a video of the  View of Police protecting Mayor’s guests at Terminal City Club in Vancouver

Below is a video of  Richard Cunningham speaking for Social Housing at Terminal City Club in Vancouver

Below is a video of  Ivan Drury and Richard Cunningham on Homeless Action at Terminal City Club in Vancouver