Nov 25: Rally to demand Federal money for social housing & rejecting Federal government's National Gentrification Plan
Join us in the fight for affordable public housing on Saturday, November 25!
What: Rally for National Housing Day of Action
When: Saturday, November 25, 12PM-2PM
Where: Start at 58 West Hastings and march to 105 Keefer St
Visuals: A raincouver special poncho dance and a surprise visit from Justin Trudeau's face
Speakers from: Our Homes Can't Wait, Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, Chinatown Action Group 華埠行動小組, Chinatown Concern Group 唐人街關注組, Carnegie Community Action Project, Carnegie African Descent Group, Vancouver Tenants Union, DTES Power of Women Group, Tent City residents, and more.
Observing the National Housing Day of Action, groups from across Canada are holding rallies protesting the Liberal government's National Housing Strategy announced on Wednesday, Nov 22nd. In Vancouver, community groups from across Metro Vancouver are holding a rally and a march starting from 58 W Hastings and ending at 105 Keefer st. Rejecting Federal government's mix-income strategy to housing, protesters demand 100% welfare and pension rate housing at the two mentioned sites.
Criticizing the slowness of the Federal housing budget and strategy to respond to an urgent crisis of housing and homelessness, the nationally held rallies demand in unison that the Federal government spend 100% of the $11.2 billion they have committed to housing within the next 2 years, the time left before the next Federal election.
Federal government's housing budget and strategy are unjustifiably back-loaded and extended over 11 years, leaving only 3% of the $11.2 billion to be spent by the end of their electoral term. The plan commits nothing to the renewal of federal, provincial, and territorial partnerships in housing and makes the promised spending contingent on the Liberals being re-elected a third time.
Backgrounder:
The acute crisis of homelessness is costing many lives in BC and across Canada but it is continually met with only a pretense of action from the different levels of government. Nearly 1 in 4 Indigenous households live in unsuitable dwellings and are 8 times more at risk of homelessness compared to the general population. Social housing units are in shambles and are being boarded up in the thousands in urban centers, exacerbating the effects of an affordability crisis that is making even rental housing unattainable. The result is that an increasing number of people are simply being abandoned to the streets.
National Demands:
The National Housing Day of Action protests will be taking place in Quebec City, Montreal, Sherbrooke, Gatineau, Rimouski, Rouyn-Noranda, Granby, Toronto, London, Edmonton, and Vancouver. All are united in demanding the following of the Trudeau Liberals:
1. Spend 100% of the $11.2 billion announced in the March 2017 budget within the next two years to respond to the crisis of social housing plaguing the country.
2. Renew federal subsidies to low-income tenants in existing social housing (co-op, nonprofit and public).
3. Build new social housing units with rent-geared-to income subsidies that are affordable to people living on social assistance and old age pension.
4. Eliminate homelessness and prioritize needs of those in precarious housing situations, especially marginalized groups including on and off-reserve Indigenous communities, recent immigrants, racialized communities, lone parent families and single seniors, women fleeing violence, disabled people, youth, people on social assistance, and the working poor.
Local Demands:
The Federal housing budget of $11 billion back-loaded over 11 years adds insult to this injury. In BC, we need the Federal government to commit to ending homelessness by dedicating $2 billion of Federal funding toward 10,000 units of social housing every year. These units are needed all across BC but specifically, in Vancouver, the unceded Coast Salish territories:
1. We need Federal funding to meet the long-standing demand of the Downtown Eastside community for 100% welfare and pension rate community-controlled housing at 58 W Hastings.
2. We acknowledge the historical struggle of the low-income community in Chinatown and this community’s demand for the culturally and historically significant site at 105 Keefer. We need Federal funding for the site to be acquired and developed into 100% welfare and pension rate housing with free and public community space.
3. Ensure first priority for safe and affordable housing for women fleeing violence, women with children and women at risk of child apprehension, and elderly women.
This event is being organized on the occupied, unceded traditional territory of the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
Please share the event widely with your network. Bring your friends, posters, and noisemakers! Hope to see you there!
In solidarity,
Carnegie Community Action Project
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About Carnegie Community Action Project
The Carnegie Community Action Project (CCAP) is a project of the board of the Carnegie Community Centre Association. CCAP works mostly on housing, income, and land use issues in the Downtown Eastside (DTES) of Vancouver so that the area can remain a low-income friendly community. CCAP works with English speaking and Chinese speaking DTES residents in speaking out on their own behalf for the changes they would like to see in their neighbourhood.
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