Social housing reality check: Ministry's own service plans show few net new
units since 2006

VANCOUVER, Sept. 13 /CNW/ - A new report shows that despite some positive recent developments on rental assistance and homelessness, BC’s progress in building new social housing units has been minimal.

The report’s authors conducted a detailed examination of BC Housing’s own service plans for 2006 to 2011. They found that while the number of households assisted by provincial housing programs increased by 11,530 since 2006, most of this assistance does not represent actual new social housing units:

• 63% (7,270 households) represents assistance to families through the Rental Assistance Program; another 1,010 are individuals assisted through the Homeless Rent Supplement.
• 1,420 of the total increase are new emergency shelter beds.
• 1,550 of the “new” supportive housing units are renovations/replacements of existing units in purchased SRO hotels.
• While there has been growth in some types of social housing, in particular supportive housing for the homeless and housing for frail seniors, there has been a larger decrease in traditional low-income housing units.

In fact, the government's own data indicate an overall net increase of only 280 new housing units over the past five years.

…CONTINUES -- read the full news release at http://www.policyalternatives.ca/newsroom/news-releases/social-housing-reality-check

For further information:

For interviews with report authors Seth Klein (CCPA) or Lorraine Copas (SPARC BC), contact Sarah Leavitt at [email protected]or 604-801-5121 x233,  or Shannon Daub at cell 604-780-9133. Download Unpacking the Housing Numbers: How Much New Social Housing is BC Building? at www.policyalternatives.ca.