B.C. housing minister Ravi Kahlon on Sunday announced the province will offer 330 new housing units for homeless people in Vancouver.
The news comes after a string of tent fires at encampments on the downtown eastside – something the city’s fire chief Karen Fry recently categorized as frustrating.
The province promised 330 new homes before July for individuals in this area, but Kahlon said everyone in Vancouver deserves a safe place to call home today.
“As safety concerns increase, we are urging people to take up the offers of indoor spaces that are available right now as we continue to open long-term housing,” he said in the Sunday press release.
Adding 330 homes by July will boost Vancouver’s total to 460 homes offered for homeless in the city’s downtown eastside in the past year, the release said.
Vancouver has opened more than 1,400 supportive homes since 2018, with nearly 900 more underway.
