As authorities and society come to realize how closely health and housing are intertwined, the SRO Collaborative Society — a project funded by the Community Housing Transformation Centre — hopes to see positive impacts of the current crisis, like a change in tenant’s rights in ways that last postCovid-19.
“The funding that we got from the Centre’s tenant-based initiative is helping us develop stronger partnerships between the city and the province as well as some caretakers, landlords, and the tenants” says Wendy Pedersen, Founding Director of the SRO Collaborative Society.
Watch the full video with Wendy Pedersen describing some current trends, challenges and hopes.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Downtown Eastside SRO Collaborative Society
Funding: Community-Based Tenant Initiative Fund (CBTIF)
Amount: 150,000 $
Type of Tenants: seniors, vulnerable youth and young adults, members of the LGBTQ2+ community, Indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, racialized communities, people with mental health and addiction challenges, low-income households.
Project’s Vision and Long-Term Goals
- Improve living conditions for vulnerable and low-income residents and stabilize rents in as many of the nearly 100 privately owned SRO hotels over the next three years.
- Empower SRO tenants to get involved in shaping their housing conditions through tenant committees, tenant rights education, knowledge sharing and peer support services.
- Stabilize rents and preserve Vancouver’s community housing stock in an environment where non-profit housing is rarely available and the market pressure on rent is substantial.
Impact of the Centre’s Contribution
This funding will help empower tenants living in SRO Buildings, more than 30 % of them being Indigenous tenants, others struggling with employment, mental health, and substance abuse. The positive impact on the tenant’s life comes hand in hand with reducing homelessness by preserving the SRO housing stock.
