AMSSA, as an umbrella organization and its member agencies have long been advocating for solutions to the affordable housing crisis in B.C.
As organizations dedicated to promoting a just and equitable society, we recognize the urgent necessity to address the housing needs of all vulnerable residents including Indigenous peoples, racialized and newcomer populations; and to ensure that all residents have access to safe, stable, and affordable housing.
The recent invalidation of the SRO Vacancy Control Bylaw by the B.C. Court of Appeal has left thousands of tenants in precarious situations. In Vancouver alone, 3,305 tenants live in 92 Single-Room Occupancy hotels (SROs). The absence of vacancy control exacerbates SRO tenants’ challenges, leading to threat of mass evictions and unchecked rent hikes. Rent in SROs have increased from 4% to 17% each year over the past decade – a majority of this being driven by speculative investment (City of Vancouver, 2023, 2021; DTES SRO Collaborative, 2024).
Immediate action must be taken to address this pressing issue, AMSSA stands by the recommendation made by the DTES Collaborative Committee to bring back the SRO Vacancy Control Bylaw and had written to Minister Ravi Kahlon to ask him to act swiftly and decisively on a critical issue affecting vulnerable populations in British Columbia: reinstating the City of Vancouver’s “SRO Vacancy Control Bylaw”.
