Housing For All

Jul. 8

Written By Vote Socialist 2022

Building a city and home to call our own

Policy Goal

Housing is a fundamental human right, while profiting from real estate investments is not. We must prioritize the elimination of homelessness and housing insecurity in Vancouver over all other land use considerations. To that end, all housing development proposals must include accessible, non-market, not-for-profit, environmentally safe public housing that is affordable for people who rely on benefits such as disability, welfare, veterans’ supports, or public pensions, as well as low-income workers, artists, community advocates, and people in seasonal or insecure professions, at rents fixed at no more than one-third of household net income.

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Pathways to Change

RENTAL HOUSING

Endorse the Renters’ Plan for the Broadway corridor released by the Vancouver Tenants Union (VTU) including the right to return at the same or lower rent, the right of first refusal, vacancy control tied to units, the right for tenants to organize; no displacements or evictions to facilitate landlord or developer profits; prioritize public housing to absorb all tenants that would be displaced by the Broadway Plan and anyone currently without accessible and stable housing; stop the issuing of permits for demolition or construction on the Broadway Plan until all affected tenants have relocation plans in place or are relocated;

Endorse the Rent Strike Bargain campaign for tenants’ right to collectively bargain and to organize tenant unions in apartment buildings or corporate-owned properties without intimidation, harassment or retaliation;

Establish a right of first refusal to allow the city to purchase residential buildings before corporations or private individuals, in order to convert these buildings into public housing; the right of first refusal for demolitions/new builds to tenants; and the right of return to a comparable unit at equal or lesser rent in new developments imparting “demovicted” renters;

Protect affordable rental stock by ending evictions of any residents living in units that cost less than 80% of market rates, unless immediately provided with housing of the same or better rental price, quality, and square footage in perpetuity, indexed to inflation;

Permit tenant sublets to protect affordable housing stock; annul any rental leases within city limits that prohibit subletting; explicitly permit direct lease transfers from tenant to replacement tenant;

Demand that landlords disclose the previous tenant's rent to new tenants, provide contact info, and list any upgrades that would justify exceeding the rent-increase limit for that year;

Implement a four (4) year rent-freeze on city-owned rental properties, all rental units where prices have been increased by more than 10% over 2019 rates without upgrades, and on landlords where maintenance issues are outstanding, with rents to be gradually reduced after the freeze;

Establish maximum temperatures for units similar to minimum temperatures as a health and safety issue, to be enforced under the municipal business license system, with private buildings that repeatedly offend to be seized and converted to public housing;

Prioritize building public and co-op housing units in areas with significant tree canopies (e.g. Shaughnessy) to provide shade and heat mitigation, as well as reducing health harms from exhaust and particulate matter originating from vehicle traffic on major arterial roads;

End the issuance of construction or demolition permits for any gentrification project until all of the impacted tenants are safely relocated and Indigenous nations have provided free, prior, and informed consent;

Stop the demolition and displacement of safer options for people who are priced out of housing and the theft of their belongings by city officials; facilitate the use of government-owned buildings or parking areas for short-term emergency shelter until long-term, stable, safe, and affordable housing can be provided; and abolish or don’t enforce parking bylaws that criminalize people living in vehicles;

Seize privately-owned buildings that do not comply with the Human Rights Act or city standards for maintenance and public health after three warnings over a two-year period, and convert all units to affordable, accessible, safe, secure, long-term public housing;

Declare all Single Room Occupancy Hotel rooms (SROs) in Vancouver a public utility and therefore available for public purchase, renovate them with kitchens and bathrooms, and use these units to provide short-term emergency housing until long-term, stable, safe, and affordable housing can be provided;

Demand financial transparency from the Vancouver Affordable Housing Agency (VAHA); give the city and then VAHA right of second refusal to buy any property along the Broadway corridor and in partnership with community land trusts, advocacy groups, and BC Housing, transform it into social housing;

Replace the City’s ineffectual, performative, and developer-friendly Rental Advisory Committee with an independently elected Rent Control Agency, with tenant union representation and rental housing ombudspersons; and make it mandatory for non-profit housing authorities to recognize and fund tenant unions in their buildings.

Build or acquire at least 2500 units per year of democratically controlled and dignified public rental housing, including but not limited to co-op housing, to be designated as affordable rental units as defined by Canada Mortgage and Housing (CMHC), Metro Vancouver, and BC Housing - shelter costs 30% or less of the renters’ household income including utility and childcare costs, with this percentage to be progressively reduced to 20%;

Implement the Renters Services Centre immediately, as advised by the 2021 Renter Services Feasibility Study;

Provide public spaces (e.g. community centers, libraries, halls) free of charge to tenants who need a space to organize;

Retrofit all city-owned rental housing and coop leased housing for improved energy efficiency and comfort using improved HVAC, heat pumps, windows, and solar shading as appropriate;

OTHER HOUSING

Prioritize the development of a stable, accessible, not-for-profit supply of carbon-neutral and ecologically responsible public housing units in mixed-use communities with easy access to public transit - with the free, prior, and informed consent of Indigenous title holders, and with a specified number of units held for Indigenous title holders;

Demand the maximum eligibility age for youth in care to be raised from 19 to 26 years (through post-secondary education); and confirm with the provincial government that safe housing, with attached, trauma-informed services and supports to achieve dignified financial independence are provided to all youth living within city limits;

Ensure that at least 50 percent of new housing units are affordable to those making working-class wages by facilitating, promoting, and expediting the permit process for non-profit and cooperative housing;

Introduce a "maximum sq footage" for single-family redevelopments and acquire large mansion-district single-family lots to be rezoned for public housing;

Ensure short-term rentals (Airbnb, Vacation Rentals by Owner (VRBO), etc.) are licensed, taxed, and regulated such that no residential units may be used exclusively for short-term rentals; immediately hire more inspectors; and release data on Vancouver short-term rental operators;

Prioritize the development of low-rise apartment buildings with commercial, childcare, and healthcare facilities, transit access, integrated community food gardens, and public spaces to facilitate community building, accessibility, and safety for disabled residents, and to reduce the energy use and embodied carbon of construction;

Increase residential and commercial property taxes to 0.65%, to achieve parity with other major Canadian cities like Toronto and Montreal;

Create a municipal housing corporation tasked with the development of social housing units, prioritizing the acquisition, rezoning, and renovation of existing rental housing stock and the construction of new units;

Provide ongoing support for city-owned or leased housing co-ops and their neighbourhood associations; increase the supply of city-owned or leased co-ops using the guiding principles of co-op housing movements;

End triple-net leases for small business and worker-controlled enterprises renting commercial space, with landlords to cover these costs.

Support higher property taxes on ownership of more than two (2) properties.

Support Indigenous-led efforts to build public housing on city-owned land, including converting city-owned golf courses to a mix of public housing, parks, and other social uses;

Resources

Note: The resources on each of our policy pages are a starting point for learning about various issues and organizations doing work in these areas. This is not a comprehensive list and VOTE Socialist is not affiliated with the organizations listed here. We hope that these resources will help you reflect on and consider community engagement with the pathways to change suggested. We organize and lead with courage not fear, with transformative vision not limits. Vote on October 15!

Organize with the Vancouver Tenants Union:

https://www.vancouvertenantsunion.ca/

Learn more about the Rent Strike Bargain campaign and how tenants and labour are joining forces to fight mega-landlords:

https://www.rentstrikebargain.com/

http://www.mediacoop.ca/node/119077

Learn how Community Land Trusts create holistic housing models:

The Vancouver Downtown Eastside Community Land Trust | CMHC

Learn more about the City’s Homelessness Services Outreach Team:

https://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/carnegie-centre-outreach-programs.aspx

Build power and support through intergenerational relationships:

Yarrow Intergenerational Society for Justice

Review the incredible social value of co-op housing in Vancouver - we need more built: