The Downtown Eastside SRO Collaborative says it’s pleased to see progress in finding housing for tenants of the Balmoral Hotel.
Coordinator Wendy Pedersen says it’s great to see the City of Vancouver making strides to help people in need.
“They’re operating three or four other buildings in our community, they’re in terrible shape, and we want this to end.”
Balmoral tenants were ordered out of the property on June 2 by City of Vancouver officials, after an inspection found the 176-room building to be unsafe and potentially at risk of collapsing.
It says water damage and rot are the primary concerns.
The city and BC Housing say they have found 131 SRO units for the renters, who have been given until June 12 to vacate the building.
But Pedersen says there are still a few dozen people who were staying in the hotel who weren’t accounted for.
“We’re really worried about people getting lost in the shuffle. So I figure there might be about 30 or 50 more people with no place to go. And we won’t know more until closer to the day of the eviction.”
She says a protest is planned in front of the hotel Sunday.
The city has ordered the property’s owners to begin repairs immediately or be charged for costs.