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City seeks injunction to remove tent city at 950 Main

Protesters set up camp at site of future social housing

Volunteers painting and hammering, campers pitching tents, loaves of bread and canned goods stacked in one corner — these were some of the sights at a vacant lot in the city’s Downtown Eastside 10 days ago as homeless people and activists pitched what they dubbed the “Ten Year Tent City.”

“We’re in the midst of the worst homelessness crisis that B.C. has ever experienced,” said Maria Wallstam, an activist with the Alliance Against Displacement, on April 28.

“Homeless people are dying on the streets and also at unprecedented rate. These tent cities are spaces of survival,” she said.

tent city homelessness protest
Protesters say no political parties have discussed street homelessness during the provincial election campaign. Photo Dan Toulgoet


The “Ten Year Tent City” sprang up last month because it’s been a decade since the UN visited Vancouver to evaluate the housing crisis before the 2010 Olympics. At that time, another tent city popped up on the same site at 950 Main St. Then as like now, the demand was for more social housing.

In memoriam

One activist present at that initial tent city was Robert Bonner, and now, he’s back to call out the government on the same issue.

“We have people that are dying in an alarming rate,” he said. “Being homeless shouldn’t be a death sentence. We’re here to ask the three political parties to sit down and devise a housing policy so that more of our people are not homeless.”

Bonner remembered two men who helped build the tent city 10 years ago. They were friends of his who died in 2010 after their house on Pandora Street burned to the ground from a faulty string of Christmas lights.

tent city protest homelessness
Robert Bonner speaks to the media about friends of his who died in a house fire. Photo Dan Toulgoet


People who were in the tent city at 58 West Hastings last year were also present at 950 Main Street for this latest protest and they said the promises made to them then were not fulfilled.

“We were promised housing but we didn’t get it,” said a woman who would not give her name. “We’re staying in a shelter. It’s really awful there, it’s not safe or anything. We are standing behind this tent city because we demand housing and we’re not gonna leave until we get it.”

Wallstam from Alliance Against Displacement said the protesters are not leaving until they get a committment for 10,000 new units of housing — places she described as “dignified” where people are “not treated like kids or they’re in jail.”

Tent city safety

A recurring issue with every tent city is the safety of residents. Two days before the tent city went up on the empty lot, the province met a tragic new benchmark. The B.C. Emergency Health Services reported April 26, the day many in the province received their monthly social assistance cheque, had the highest number of overdose calls ever recorded. That day, there were 130 calls to 911 for drug overdoses.

“I think the safest place for drug use is the tent city right now,” said another activist, JJ, who declined to give his full name. “The over-policing of the Downtown Eastside has led to more overdose deaths than ever before. When people are pushed to dark alleyways to use alone, there is no one to check up on them, no support.

“When we have a community of people looking out for each other […] we can save the lives that are being lost,” he added.

Wallstam added that the Alliance Against Displacement will do what they can to keep people safe.

Cry for action

A woman who was six-months pregnant drew the attention of media because of her difficult situation. Sarah, who did not give her last name, said she has been offered housing but declined because she wants to keep her family together.

“I can get housing easily because I’m pregnant but I turned them all down because most of the places the baby dad can’t come stay there and I obviously want my baby dad to be in my child’s life,” she said.

“I don’t think that’s right, a child should be able to have the dad there,” said Sarah, one of the tent city’s residents.

tent city homelessness protest
"Why are we in a world-class city in a tent city? That should never be occurring," said Ronald Kuehlke. Photo Dan Toulgoet


The protest cast a shadow on the provincial government and an election campaign that has not discussed the opioid crisis or homelessness. Political parties are reluctant to talk about street poverty, said JJ.

“Ten years ago this is the make-or-break decision for the election,” he said. “In 2017, nobody’s talking about it.”

City responds with injuncion

The city applied for an injunction to remove the tent city and today said they are appealing to the protest leaders to pack up so plans for a 26-unit social housing building can begin.

“The individuals at 950 Main are violating the Trespass Act,” announced the city in statement May 8, noting city staff has been directed “to remove any tents or other structures and depart the property so that work can begin on this important social housing project.”

tent city protest homelessness
Housing advocates install a wood frame on a vacant lot at 950 Main St. on April 28, 2017. Photo Dan Toulgoet


The Lu’Ma Native Housing Society holds a development permit to build on the lot and intends to house aboriginal adults who are at risk for homelessness.

The city identified the “lack of affordable housing” as a “critical challenge” and admonished the protesters for standing in the way at this specific location.

“Despite this, camp leaders are choosing to remain on site and so the city has been forced to apply for an injunction in order to gain access to the site so that work for this social housing project can begin,” read the release. “These concerns have been relayed to the camp’s leaders.”

ajoaquin@vancourier.com

@arvinjoaquin