💔“Supportive Housing” Isn’t Working — Stop Ramming It Through
By Tina Winterlik aka Zipolita
They say it’s about compassion. They say it’s about helping the vulnerable. But let’s not confuse band-aid politics with real care. In Abbotsford, a 42-unit “supportive housing” complex is being forced into Martens Park—right next to a school, homes, and small businesses—despite serious community concerns. City council says they’re pushing ahead. But they’re not listening. Again.
And it’s not just Abbotsford. The same thing is happening in Kitsilano and throughout Vancouver. All over BC, this same flawed model is being fast-tracked, while the rest of us—residents, unhoused people, and frontline workers—deal with the fallout.
🧠 This isn’t real support. It’s reactive chaos.
Let’s remember: this whole push came from COVID—not compassion. Back in 2020, officials didn’t want sick, unhoused people on the street where they might spread the virus. So they rushed to move folks into hotels, trailers, and modular buildings.
They called it “supportive housing.” But what we got was containment, not care.
There’s no long-term strategy. No exit plan. No dignity.
🚫 What we’re seeing isn’t support — it’s warehousing trauma
Residents in these units report:
- Drug use, fires, theft, violence
- Overdose deaths right inside their rooms
- No mental health staff, barely any security
- No privacy, no rights, no plan to move on
Meanwhile, neighbours see:
- Open drug scenes
- Needles in parks
- Businesses vandalized or closed
- Fear and frustration, not because they hate the unhoused—but because they can see the system is failing.
And in places like Granville Street, the situation has spiraled. Crime, disorder, and despair are on full display. Vancouverites are told to “be patient,” while the root causes are ignored.
💰 Who benefits? Follow the money.
Many supportive housing sites are run by non-profit agencies receiving huge government contracts. But where does the money go?
Some of these groups pay executive salaries over $200K while residents live in unsafe, undignified conditions. Others are run by private developers making profit off of poverty. And still, there's no accountability, no transparency, and no results that match the price tag.
💡 We need healing, not hiding.
This entire model needs to be reimagined. Here’s what we really need:
🛖 1. Healing Lodges & Wellness Centres
We need Indigenous-led, trauma-informed spaces that focus on recovery, ceremony, and spiritual health. These are desperately lacking. Healing should not cost thousands of dollars. Rehab and wellness support should be free and accessible to all, just like a hospital.
🏡 2. Tiny Houses by the People, for the People
I’ve been dreaming—and sharing—this idea for years:
- Elementary kids design tiny homes as a creative school project.
- High schoolers learn trades and build the homes.
- Unhoused people help finish them and live in them—with dignity and support.
This teaches empathy, unity, and real-world skills. It brings community together rather than tearing it apart.
🏘️ 3. Local, small-scale housing with dignity
We need co-ops, community gardens, and low-rise housing where people feel safe—not packed into mega-shelters or forgotten in warehouse-style units. And they should be close to family, nature, jobs, and support, not shoved behind warehouses or beside schools with no input.
❗ Don't ram through more failures.
It’s not heartless to say this model isn’t working. What’s heartless is pretending it is.
We all want people housed — but this system is harming the very people it claims to protect.
Stop fast-tracking projects that ignore:
- Residents’ voices
- Neighbours’ concerns
- The lived experience of people who’ve been through it
BC needs true care, not crisis management. Real community, not isolation.
Let’s build something better — together.
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