As the province prepares to close the Luugat single-room occupancy (SRO) building on Vancouver’s Granville Street by the end of June, it appears BC Housing doesn’t want the public to see inside the former hotel that taxpayers paid millions of dollars to convert to supportive housing during COVID.
“I’m happy to get out of there,” Luugat resident Stewart Holcombe said with a chuckle Friday.
Holcombe told Global News he and about a dozen other residents were moving to new homes on May 1, after they were told in September that the province would be finding them places equal to or better than 1176 Granville Street.
Holcombe said the bathroom roof in his fourth-floor unit at the SRO had caved in due to flooding from all the fires over the years, and his new accommodation in East Vancouver is way better.
“It’s three times the size, it’s cheaper and I have, like, a full fridge, full stove,” he told Global News ahead of the planned move. “It’s a complete bachelor suite instead of just a little box.”
The Luugat had approximately 80 residents in the fall of 2025.
As of April 27, 36 residents remained and all had been offered alternative housing, according to B.C.’s Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs.
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Although Holcombe disputes that claim and said some residents haven’t been offered any housing yet, the ministry said 18 residents have accepted offers and are waiting to move, while the remainder are “evaluating which housing option will work best for them”.
Another flood at Aura nightclub on the ground floor of the former Howard Johnson hotel on Fri. April 24 offered a glimpse of the living conditions in the supportive housing above.
With the help of a plumber, bar owner Alan Goodall said he tracked the water to an overflowing toilet in a first-floor unit, which was piled with two to four feet of garbage – and no bed.
Global News wanted to give the public a clearer look inside after the building’s nearly six-year tenure as an SRO.
“It was destroyed in less than a year and a half,” Holcombe said in an interview. “Pretty sad.”
BC Housing denied Global News’ request to film the Luugat’s common areas and unoccupied rooms, stating it has an obligation to respect the privacy of current residents.
“For that reason, we will not be able to accommodate any media tour of the building,” the Crown corporation said in an email.
In Oct. 2020, Global News was welcomed inside the building for a tour, just months after the province purchased the former hotel for $55 million to house people from encampments.
Our cameras photographed a safer supply dispensing machine, the overdose prevention site above the lobby, and various residents in the elevators and hallways.
Atira, the housing operator at the time, spoke about the supports available for residents, including health care support workers.
“It was beautiful in the beginning,” recalled Holcombe.
BC Housing said it was happy to be able to accommodate Global News previously. There also appeared to be no privacy issues with residents at that time.
More than five years later and following multiple fires, floods and at least $1.87 million spent on building repairs and remediation, it appears BC Housing does not want taxpayers to see what’s left of the Luugat.
“All the stuff in the hallways, pictures were taken off the wall, the TVs were all taken and sold – like, it was destroyed in less than a year,” Holcombe said, adding he believes the public should be able to see the conditions. “Absolutely, yeah, it’s been destroyed like, it’s absolutely decimated in there, like there’s flood damage on every floor, there (are) multiple rooms you can’t even go in, the roofs are caving in.”
When pressed on access and what had changed since 2020, BC Housing said people in the building are in the process of having to move out.
“This is a destabilizing and stressful moment in people’s lives and our focus is on supporting the move-out process for residents and the community,” the Crown corporation responded in an email.
Holcombe, who survived a bizarre incident which saw him stuck in the building’s ventilation shaft for more than 24 hours in August 2024, said he’s optimistic for the next chapter of housing.
“I’m quite excited,” he said on moving day.
This is the ongoing incompetence of BC Housing and a got’ t who paid 3X what properties were worth then stuffed all sorts of troubled folk into this housing and did zero to manage the premises. And the tenants who would/could make a go of living better were left to be victimized by those who were out of control. Ask around this scenario is being repeated all over the city. NIMBYism is now just common sense for any neighbourhood that is targeted for social housing.
Another Proud Canadian – If you don’t like Canada then get out. You should move to te USA where they cater to N A Z I goofs like you
I think part of the issue is that BC Housing is putting people who need complex care into regular independent housing when some of these people cannot properly care for themselves or their surroundings. They need hospital type facilities with round the clock care and cleaning staff. They cannot fend for themselves while high on drugs. Its like allowing toddlers to live on their own and expecting tiolets not to clog and garbage not to be thrown on the floor. This is poor policy, placing people in unsuitable housing for their needs. This type of housing should be for people who don’t have brain injuries and are coming out of their drug addiction and can live independently.
We gave junkies rooms with artwork and televisions????????. I guess whomever thought this up was afraid to voice their concerns on what could possibly happen. When will our goverment finally realize that Socialist idealism is no longer a solution
“Chinese consulate met Vancouver official in bid to stop event critical of communist rule”
Just further proof that Ken Sim has opened the door to communist China infiltrating Vancouver’s local government. Truly disgusting
Proud Canadian – Then you’re not a Canadian at all. You’re a f**king N A Z I
I think they should be euthanized
Bob B – Shut up goof. Nobody cares about what you have to say
At JV- My plan would be to ban NarCan, and let the issue eventually take of itself.
Less of a burden on our health system.
yet another NDP failure
No surprise, free rent and they destroy it
Lol the Conservative clowns pretending like they have a better plan to combat homelessness in the city. Even funnier they’re pretending like Conservative governments don’t waste tax dollars on the most ridiculous sh1t imaginable. In the USA they’re spending tax dollars on a ballroom for N A Z I ped0 Trump while they cut back healthcare and social programs and his base is cheering it on. Here in Vancouver we have a bunch of Conservative idiots wanting our tax dollars to be spent on the Whitecaps and then they’re whining about tax dollars spent an SRO project that’s trying to clean up the city. Typical Conservatives… crying about all of the junkies and homeless people in Vancouver but they don’t want to spend any money to deal with the issue. They just want to sit around and blame the Libs and NDP
What a waste. This is my tax dollars at work?!?! I’m so happy I have dual citizenship and can leave this country. It’s been ruined.
Atira and other NFP are the keepers of these taxpayer boondoggles done by this NDP govt. There are industrial lands that could be occupied placing people in a temporary mode. Change the mindset stop the flow of drugs. The only people that should be in a permanent setting are seniors and disabled. The others should not feel their lifestyle is the responsibility of the taxpayers forever.
This is what MAID should be used for. These people cause endless destruction and chaos. They offer nothing in return for the investment of taxpayers.
These people would have been better off at Oppenheimer park
As a safety manager, you can’t believe how disgusting these places are inside, and how much fentinol has been detected in the air. I was inside one of the buildings for 30 minutes and almost puked when I left from all the toxins in the air
Come check out Killarney gardens. There was a fire here in August of 2014. We all had a great time with the smoking asbestos. It Took out four units and it’s still boarded up but now a pigeon coop!
These unfortunates who obviously have dual diagnostic health issues need to be forced into treatment facilities, not housed in a hotel.
This is what socialism does it takes taxpayers money and it throws it away and destroys it for social causes and it never works smart app you people are crazy and you had Global News are all so crazy cuz you support this garbage
Not sure WHAT RIGHT politicians have to FORCE ALL TAXPAYERS to financially support ANY HOMELESS PERSON. My right to say yes or no, but forcing us all to do what they say is akin to communism and we the people NEED to fight them if we can figure out a way to do so without violence. I am fed up with not being able to financially support my own family because POLITICIANS have taken all my money to pay for people who REFUSE TO HELP THEMSELVES in most cases. Move back home and live with your parents instead.
As a former frontline worker at Carl Rooms, which was run by Atira, had constant flooding and is now closed due unsafe conditions, I’m not surprised that the Granville building is derelict. Atira is, imo, the absolute worst SRO property management in Vancouver. Atira allowed drug dealing, rooms to be commandeered by gangsters and many of the staff were ill-trained, violent and racist. It’s easy to place all of the blame on the tenants, but the truth is that Atira’s negligence and poor management likely contributed to the destruction of the property.
This is nothing new. Go to any SRO and it will look like a dump. The container shelters that were built in Whalley a few years ago were trashed within less than a year. Junkies dont care. You give them shelter and most of them treat it like garbage. There are options for recovery and mental health but only a few with utilize it. Some are just too far gone from drug damage that they will never recover.
Not sure what they expected to happen? You can’t move junkies/mental health issues with drug issues into housing and expect them to not trash it or sell of anything of value? Isn’t that the definition of insane – doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different out come? Proper drug and mental health facilities are NEEDED. Put the money into that!
Where are the staff that are supposed to ensure that this doesn’t happen? The BC Welfare system is the biggest NDP scam going. Giving money away to all there Lefty friends without any accountability. For the “poor” homeless. Ya right.
Is there ever going to be a time where we actually start treating the problem and stop putting band aid after band aid on drug alcohol issues and mental health. Housing is only the beginning of support needed.
There is no way the government would waste our money! They would never do that to us.
I don’t get what is going on in this story. Is the reporter suggesting that the problems were not created by the residents? Now that this building is destroyed they are moving on to more housing opportunities? The businesses underneath them were flooded more than once. I think it was this guy who is clipped that got trapped in the vents probably because he was trying to get at the liquor in the club below. And now the government that provided the housing is somehow to blame??!!
Stop blaming the “junkies”!!!!!! Noone chose this!!!! This is a SOCIETAL problem!!!! Family, exes, and most recently landlords with their extreme rents, PUT people on the street, made them homeless, to their own will and endless benefits!!! Family and exes DELIBERATELY ruin their loved ones, and from the day, have full power and control over them, leaving the now homeless and ruined with nothing and invalidated, absolute impossibility to exist. Extremely depressing and unbelievable. You all should be ashamed of yourselves for hating on such misery. AND the resources, harm reduction, BC housing, shelters, ALL making a whack of dough, BILLIONS of dollars they get, employed off our backs, plight, ruin and dime!!!! And help no one. This a perfect example, of the disgusting conditions and dictatorship and disregard of human beings who worked harder, generously gave and helped more, than these crooks
Zero mental health supports. Psychological help. Not psychiatric. Canada is so far behind in providing real support. They just offer psychiatric drugs but no mental health supports. It’s truly madness. Top heavy non- profit organizations. No peer support workers, no psychologically trained staff. No outreach. Seriously what do they expect to happen?!
They should have mental health and addiction support workers helping these residents giving them housing is only the first step.
Junkies do what junkies do. DESTORY
What do you expect from Junkies, Drug Addicts, They say it’s a Mental health issue they are lying These People are Straight Drug Addicts Junkies they are Thieves and are Destructive, Our Tax Dollars Pay to Accommodate these People that have no Desire to Help themselves. You Get no Sympathy or Empathy from me and a lot of other People. This is Disgusting.
Why are taxpayers wasting money on
housing drug addicts and alcoholic
when they will ultimately trash the place.
Stuck in a ventilation shaft? Was he doing a Diehard?
Another case of the media blocking what’s really going on. Making Carney’s clowns look good in the public eye. We need media outlets that are transparent so we can see what’s really going on. Not what they want you to see. Let’s see how long theses media clowns survive without the government funding. We already know they would be bankrupt. Quit trying to make pigs in makeup look like Queens. And we all know that these junkies could care less. We see it in the streets.
David Eby is the biggest and dumbest drug dealer in Canada
You can not take junkies off the street and give them a nice place to live they are junkies who ruin everything.
Bravo Advocates.
This is the “community builders group” responsibility.
$55mil plus who knows how much in regular funding in incomes into their pockets. With 17 executives and 100+ employees this group couldn’t manage and maintain this better?
Perfect example of the poverty industry in action.
I don’t understand why you can’t get a video of what’s going on inside there
Obviously, you just don’t want to
I could have you a video within 48 hours and I don’t even live in Vancouver