Overdose crisis: An inside look at a Vancouver hotel transformed into supportive housing

A former hotel in downtown Vancouver is now offering supportive housing amid the province’s overdose crisis.

The former Howard Johnson in the 1100-block of Granville Street features a safe medication dispensing machine in the lobby. It scans a registered user’s hand and then dispenses a safe dose of hydromorphone, a medicinal alternative to heroin.

25:14 One-on-one with Dr. Bonnie Henry on B.C.’s overdose crisis

Just above the main lobby is an overdose prevention site, which is monitored around the clock.

The hotel is staffed by health-care support workers who provide outreach, said Atira Supportive Housing director Jose Reyes.

In an interview with Global News, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said supportive housing is a key to fighting the overdose crisis.

“I think the most critical thing right now is that whole piece of supportive housing,” she said. “And what does that actually mean? It means making sure we’re engaging with community supports, making sure we have the right people together so those supports are available.”

The B.C. government bought the building for $55 million in June to use as an emergency shelter for former residents of the encampment at Oppenheimer Park.

3:21 Regulating illicit drugs so that users have a safe supply

Neighbours soon complained of disorder, violence, and noise from bear bangers.

“I would encourage those people rather than focus on and blame folks who are made vulnerable by the system to rail against the system that makes those folks vulnerable,” said Janice Abbott of the Atira Women’s Resource Society, which runs the hotel.

As of this past Thursday, the building is no longer an emergency shelter, but a supportive housing site.

Residents pay $375 a month to live there.

“Things are better now,” Reyes said. “People that were causing problems they got transferred to different locations, different buildings.”

“I think that we’re moving towards the right direction. I think that we’ve learned a lot since the beginning of the project and I think that we have the baseline of what we need to create a successful program.”