Social Housing in Vancouver - The 14 Sites

[osirisboy]

Originally Posted by Pinion

Mentally ill/drug addicts do irrational things, news at 11.

exactly so why are we sticking them in their own little homes... that seems a bit irrational.

[emperor xiv]

short of comiting murder, there tenancy is better protected than anyone else in a rental unit. if they go to jail their suite is usually kept for them for 3 months.

[trofirhen]

Is the purpose of most of this housing to get street people (WFA, substance problems, and such) off the streets and into housing?

Otherwise stated: do former patients of psychiatric care, as well as former substance abuse issue people get awarded the larger portion of the units?

If that is the case, no offense intended at all, but there would need to be an on site medical/counselling person or persons, and a security guard. A lot of these people need assistance, and that assistance needs to be integrated into the new building community.

[hollywoodnorth]

Originally Posted by osirisboy

What happens when its discovered that tenants have done those sorts of things? are they kicked out, do they just let them stay there?

they upgrade them to a bigger and better unit! haha

NDP style!

[Metro-One]

Originally Posted by osirisboy

exactly so why are we sticking them in their own little homes... that seems a bit irrational.

I feel the same way. These social housing units should be reserved for those who want to better themselves and will take part in mandated rehab programs (if on drugs). Better yet they should be used for low income families who need help and supply day care and other services for those parents who are working and actually trying.

And those who are mentally ill should be placed under proper care in hospital facilities. Of course they deserve to have the best care possible, so such facilities should also be transparent.

But honestly, is their no respect? It makes me so mad that we spend tax dollars to provide these services, and what thanks to they show in return? let's trash the place and sell it for scrap. Nothing but rats they are.

Are there no rules in these places? No superintendents? No social workers on site? I thought these places would at least come with the basic programs / rules.

[dreambrother808]

There are trained staff running these social housing centres. They screen those entering the facility, attend to problems, and give out medications. Some are harm reduction facilities, meaning they will help you to make better choices in your life, but you are still free to make bad ones that they will help you to mitigate in whatever way possible. Other sites are stricter and don't allow drug use, etc. Naturally, the more permissive locations are there for those who will not follow such strict rules but would otherwise be homeless.

As well some places are specifically for low-income families, single mothers, etc.

I have a friend who used to work in one as well as friends/acquaintances currently living in social housing. The people i know who live in these places are drug free but low income for various reasons.

[Metro-One]

Still doesn't give them the right to trash the place provided for them. they can make their bad choices outside all they want, but when being given a free place to sleep and live, you should show some respect.

And this is what I mean by those who abuse our social system. There are those who do need these services and do respect them or at least try. I don't expect such people to be perfect, but as long as they at least show an effort to respect such rules and to better themselves.

But there are those who are simply leaches and are more or less homeless by choice, as you noted by not wanting to follow any rules.

Such a person is a rat IMO and I have met many of them. Perfect example are the young, fully able drifters I see begging at the intersection of Cambie and Marine daily. Some even have designer clothing and they always seem to have money for cigarettes. Anyone who gives them one thin dime is a sucker. Now if they had signs saying they would accept food or money in return for some basic labour (such as yard work, painting, etc...) then that would be ok.

[Pinion]

You need to stop looking at them as disrespectful leeches and more as people with an illness that aren't fully in control of themselves. I understand it's hard to relate if you don't know anyone who's had a mental illness, but my best friend for most of my life - who was a top student and athlete - gradually turned into a bi-polar schizophrenic in his mid 20s and now lives in socialized housing. He occasionally does shocking/horrible things that neither he nor medication can control.

The brain is a fragile thing. Do not feel anger - feel thankful that your brain works properly. These people deserve to live in a warm home just like every other human.

[Metro-One]

That I agree with, a i said, those with mental illnesses need to be looked after and be given as comfortable a life style as can be accomplished.

I am not referring to those with such attributes that can not be controlled.

I am talking about those who are able bodies, and able mentally. (and no, I do not count addiction as a true mental disease (and trust me, there are many in my extended family with addiction problems, so I am no stranger to it), it is a lack of discipline. That said, I do support social rehab programs for addiction, I just ask that people at least try a decent effort to participate in such programs if they are given social housing).

And yes, there should be rules, if you are ripping apart your room to sell it for scrap then obviously you need much higher supervised care.

[dreambrother808]

These people ripping apart a bed, or "getting away" with what you claim, live the most miserable lives imaginable. Why is it preferable to have them on the streets? In many ways they are beyond being "fixed" or helped. Providing them with a home is a humanitarian gesture that has nothing to do with condoning behaviour.

[Metro-One]

Hence I said they should be in a more monitored situation with higher levels of care. Because if they are beyond the point of fixing then why do they have the freedom / capability to rip out wiring and sell it on the streets??

That is my point, nothing about keeping them out on the streets, again I agree that everyone deserves 3 square meals a day and a warm bed to sleep in at night, but obviously some of these people are beyond the capability to be trusted largely alone and operate on their own accord in these social housing units.

And again there are still the losers out there who do have the judgment and capability to try and change, but they don't (many of them recently kicked out of the Art Gallery lawn...)

[logan5]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

I am not referring to those with such attributes that can not be controlled. I am talking about those who are able bodies, and able mentally. (and no, I do not count addiction as a true mental disease (and trust me, there are many in my extended family with addiction problems, so I am no stranger to it), it is a lack of discipline.

Addiction usually stems from a mental illness. Instead of receiving proper treatment, mentally ill people are left to fend for themselves in the DTES. They medicate themselves with street drugs. Their mental issues are then exacerbated through extended drug use. The DTES is the cities mental ward and losing a few beds is an acceptable loss, as opposed to setting up a better care facility or funding them through prison.

[Metro-One]

for god sakes, do you people even read my posts here??? i swear you skim over the parts that I support having proper care for those with mental illnesses.

I have seen a lot of people turn to bags of — because of drugs, some because of mental illnesses, and I agree they did not receive the proper care they should have got before turning to drugs, but many others just because they were idiots. Some of them have been rehabilitated and have used social programs available to them, but others have completely continued to abuse the system and become useless to society with no good excuse. In those cases I do support forced rehab.

It may not be the PC thing to do, but some people are just leaches, thats it. Some try to better themselves, some are mentally or physically unable to better themselves, and they need all the help we can give them, but some choose to be bums because they are unwilling to play by anyone else's rules period.

And they drain resources needed to help those I listed above.

And don't give me the "you don't understand" —, mental illness runs through my family, I am much more well aware of it then you may imagine. As does addiction and many other disabilities (physical as well). And through those most in my family have become pretty keen in observing who truly needs help, and who is a leach.

Because this is the classic problem with our society today, every addiction, every problem is blamed on someone or something else. Some are, but just as many are not. No one seems to have any form of self discipline anymore.

Just as I cited with the begging losers on Cambie. Designer clothing, smoking cigarettes, young and able bodied, but begging. Disgusting.

I am a hard handed socialist. Also having my mother and brother in law working for social services I have heard enough first hand accounts about abusing the system and just how many of these "deserving" individuals are complete scammers and losers.

You would be disgusted how many people abuse food drives and the selecting christmas families through schools every year. I use to help deliver the presents and food with my mom, and there were some families who truly had tragic stories and / or were trying to provide for their kids and make their own way who needed the help. Those were the sad but also heart warming moments that made the giving feel so good. But then for every one of those families, there were the families who were completely abusing the system and made giving the donations feel terrible.

And what pisses me off most about that is so much more could be given to the families and people in need if so much was not syphoned off by the scammers and rats.

So bottom line is, if these people have mental illnesses and are trashing their beds and stealing wiring to sell it for drugs on the streets, then why are they in Social Housing and not a proper medical facility?

That is my beef, why do we not have mental hospitals and other such facilities to house these people?

end rant, I am done for tonight.

Let it be said I support the social housing, but there is no reason not everyone should be expected to try and follow some form of rules.

[Jebby]

Originally Posted by dreambrother808

These people ripping apart a bed, or "getting away" with what you claim, live the most miserable lives imaginable. Why is it preferable to have them on the streets? In many ways they are beyond being "fixed" or helped. Providing them with a home is a humanitarian gesture that has nothing to do with condoning behaviour.

How is spending other people's tax dollars on these people, who you admit are lost causes, humanitarian or charitable? If you want to help them do it out d your own pocket. When they break a bed or sell it for drug money, why don't you volunteer to pay for it. That's charity. Forcing others to pay to condone this behavior and fix those mistakes is not right.

[dreambrother808]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

So bottom line is, if these people have mental illnesses and are trashing their beds and stealing wiring to sell it for drugs on the streets, then why are they in Social Housing and not a proper medical facility?

That is my beef, why do we not have mental hospitals and other such facilities to house these people?

I think we all know that those services were cut by the provincial government.

As for what happens when residents cause damage or steal, I am sure that there are some kind of consequences such as being evicted. I would have to ask though. Previously, in regard to lack of strict rules, I was referring to harm reduction facilities which try to counsel residents in a healthier direction but will not kick them out for using drugs.

[emperor xiv]

the majority of people in the supportive housing side of things, are so used to the dtes way of living that they don't equate the new housing as being any different than the sro's they have had to put up with for years. doing whatever it takes to survive is acceptable behavior to them. whereas seeing people standing on the corner smoking crack is not commonplace in kerrisdale, it"s the norm in the dtes. all neighborhoods have standards, the dtes has there own.but remember, one bad apple doesn't spoil the whole bunch. supportive housing works for those who want it to work. i work in a very well run one, that many people want into.

[entheosfog]

7th and Fir:

[entheosfog]

1237 Howe, from the alley:

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by entheosfog

7th and Fir:

Anyone else think that having the angled bay windows blocks a lot of light from the south (esp. during winter)?

[SFUVancouver]

Thanks for the photos, Entheosfog. 7th and Fir is looking pretty good. I think the likely answers as to why they didn't put a window on the south side of the angled rooms are (1) cost, and (2) the rooms are so small that they likely need that blank wall to make the room functional.