Organization clearing Vancouver tent city say site needed to build affordable housing

With the future of the “10-Year Tent City” in doubt following yet another notice to leave, the lawyer representing the Lu’Ma Native BC Housing Society – the organization with a 60-year lease on the property – says the homeless residents are jeopardizing the future of 26-affordable housing units.

“If the project isn’t cleared, if the site isn’t cleared, and the project doesn’t get started very shortly, the capital funding is under threat. And if the capital funding falls apart then the project may never be built,” said Mike Walker.

“Lu’ma’s very pleased it’s been able to put together some pretty unconventional funding sources for this project, they worked really hard for five years to put this funding together and they don’t want it to slip away.”

Walker says one of the financial backers is the StreetoHome Foundation. A German foundation that prefers not to be identified is also providing support.

Meanwhile, residents of the tent city say they have nowhere else to go.

Herb Varley said the city is just trying to pass the blame.

“The city has already lost its first injunction, and rather than trying to build a more solid case to win the first injunction, it’s trying to pass the buck off to Lu’Ma Housing.”

Varley said the land has been empty for years but the city never did anything.

“It cannot hide the fact that this little plot of land has been vacant for over a decade, that they’ve not built this for over a decade and all of a sudden put this false urgency and displace people again with yet another piece of paper.”

In an email, the City of Vancouver says Housing Outreach staff will be working with BC Housing to secure accommodation for those on the site.

The city says they require immediate access for the project to be completed on time.

It also says that Lu’Ma will be in charge of operating the affordable units.