Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Downtown Eastside?

The Downtown Eastside (DTES) is Vancouver’s oldest neighbourhood. Once the city’s main commercial district and transportation hub, the DTES played a key role in the history of Vancouver’s growth and development.

What is the Downtown Eastside like today?

Revitalization, supported by strong traditions of local activism and co-operation, characterizes the contemporary spirit of the Downtown Eastside, as the community copes with a legacy of poverty, drugs, crime and health issues.

How does the Province of British Columbia support revitalization in the DTES?

The B.C. provincial government plays an active role working to help DTES residents and neighbourhood organizations build a better future. Working through many government ministries, Crown corporations and agencies, the Province of British Columbia sustains on-going investments in the community.

How has B.C. provincial government support housing in the DTES?

Stable, affordable housing builds a foundation for better, healthier lives and communities – and it’s a critical need for many DTES residents.

Through the Ministry of Housing and Social Development, the Province is implementing a comprehensive strategy and making significant investments in housing for British Columbians in need, including people in the DTES. In 2009/10, the Province’s budget for social housing is approximately $450 million, more than three times as much as in 2001.

The Province currently provides more than $30 million annually to subsidize over 7,000 units of social and supportive housing, managed by non-profit societies, housing co-ops or BC Housing in the DTES. A further 317 units of supportive housing in the DTES have either opened or will be opened during 2010 – 117 units and the Doorways of Hope, and 200 units at the Woodward’s site. Additionally, the Province is investing in approximately 1,400 long-term, supportive housing units on 14 sites owned by the City of Vancouver, several of which are located in the DTES.

To date, the Province has purchased 24 Vancouver single room occupancy hotels, protecting approximately 1,480 units of affordable housing (including 1,280 in the DTES) for people in greatest need.

What are other examples of B.C. provincial government investments in the DTES and inner-city neighbourhoods?

In April, 2008, the Province committed $10 million over three years to repair and maintain buildings and clean up streets, alleys and sidewalks in some of Vancouver’s historic inner-city neighbourhoods across a 40-block area anchored by the Woodward’s re-development on the city’s Downtown Eastside.

Opened in 2008, the Burnaby Centre for Mental Health & Addictions provides services for people in the Vancouver area with severe addiction and mental health challenges.

The Province provides employment counselling and training opportunities for inner-city residents, as well as helping recent immigrants find jobs.

The provincial government supports BladeRunners, a program helping at-risk find employment. Program participants worked on Olympic projects, including the Olympic Village, the Nat Bailey Stadium Olympic Site and the Sea to Sky Highway.

Simon Fraser University’s School for the Contemporary Arts at the historic Woodward’s site in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside received $49.5 million in provincial government support.

With support from the Province, organized sports (snowboarding, basketball, indoor soccer, badminton and fitness training) are available for inner-city youth, with additional programs for urban Aboriginal youth.