A group of volunteers who built tiny homes for those in need in B.C.’s north is now eyeing an encampment in Vancouver, CRAB Park, to set up similar shelters.
Calgary’s InGreen Building Systems recently donated durable, lockable pods to a handful of unhoused residents of Prince George, in order to provide “safety and quality of life” during their time of transition, said president Shawn Balaghi.
“Here, we envision to start about 50 pods that can house somewhere around 70 people,” he told Global News at CRAB Park on Tuesday. “The movement has several GoFundMe pages at this time as well, and we’re hoping that the city would help.”
CRAB Park has been the site of a tent encampment since May of 2021 as Vancouver experiences a housing crisis.
Tents are permitted around the clock in a designated portion of the park, but outside those bounds, residents must pack up and remove their belongings each day in accordance with a park bylaw.
Jason Hebert has lived in CRAB Park for most of its three-year encampment history and said he goes through a tent every three months or so as they “get beaten up pretty quick.”
“It would mean a little bit more freedom, a little bit more warmth, a little more security,” Hebert said of the possibility of having a tiny shelter.
“You can’t seem to hold onto things in this lifestyle. Things are getting stolen from you quickly — or walking off, I should say.”
Hebert said he’s on a waitlist for social housing and did an interview less than two months ago, and was told his turn for a unit might be coming up in the next six months.
“A tiny home would definitely improve our lifestyle by 110 per cent, so the folks that are helping fund everything like that? From the bottom of our hearts, we really thank you.”
Bradley Gustafson, a volunteer who assembled the pods in Prince George, said he’s met a “wonderful” crew of volunteers in Vancouver who are keen to help with the project and hopes to bring others onto the team.
“We need safety for the persons, security for their belongings and enough warmth, meaning insulation for a cold winter and that’s what we have in Canada,” he said.
“A tent just simply doesn’t cover any of those really, so that’s why we do what we’re doing.”
In December, Vancouver opened its first tiny home village at 875 Terminal Avenue. The 10-home project houses couples or adult family members in a caregiver relationship who wouldn’t typically be able to stay in a shelter together.
That pilot project was approved in February 2022 with a budget of $1.5 million.
Asked Tuesday, however, the City of Vancouver and Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation said they do not support a tiny homes project in CRAB Park, as the two-year pilot at Terminal Avenue is ongoing.
“The City is also prioritizing working with senior government to create more supportive and social housing and emergency shelter, as well as advocating for improved income, social, and mental health supports for people who are experiencing homelessness,” the municipality wrote by email.
As it stands, Vancouver has 25 per cent of the region’s overall population but operates 75 per cent of its shelter spaces, it said. The city “looks forward to other local municipalities increasing their provision of shelter spaces and supportive and social housing,” it added.