Below-Market? Not Even Close — Vancouver's Housing Plan Excludes the Most Vulnerable

 

Below-Market? Not Even Close — Vancouver's Housing Plan Excludes the Most Vulnerable
By Tina Winterlik aka Zipolita

This week, the City of Vancouver proudly announced the approval of 608 new rental homes, including 121 so-called “below-market” units. Sounds like good news, right?

Not if you're on welfare, disability, or low income. Let’s look at the numbers:

• Average 1-bedroom rent in Vancouver (CMHC 2025): $1,837/month
• "Below-market" rate (10% less): $1,653/month
• Welfare shelter allowance: $375/month
• Disability shelter allowance: $500/month

Even with a roommate or temporary top-up, these “affordable” homes are completely out of reach for those who need them most.

So who are they really building for?

They pat themselves on the back for meeting “affordability” targets — but those targets are set with middle-income earners in mind. There is no real inclusion for seniors, disabled people, single parents, or anyone on social assistance.

This isn’t a mistake. It’s a deliberate design to exclude the poor, while using the word “affordable” to appease public concern.

This isn’t affordability. It’s exclusion disguised as progress.

And we’re tired of it.

We demand housing that reflects the real needs of the people. Real inclusion. Real justice. Not more empty promises and fancy press releases.

Housing is a human right — not a privilege for the few.

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Sources:

• City of Vancouver Housing Announcement (May 2025):
  https://bit.ly/3ZsMVDP
• CMHC Rental Market Report – Vancouver, 2025 (used for below-market rent estimates):
  https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/professionals/housing-markets-data-and-research/housing-data/data-tables/rental-market
• City of Vancouver Rental Incentive Programs Bulletin (2025):
  https://guidelines.vancouver.ca/bulletins/bulletin-rental-incentive-programs.pdf

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Tags:
#VancouverHousing #SocialJustice #DisabilityRights #WelfareRates #BelowMarketMyth #AffordableForWho #TinaWinterlik #Zipolita #HousingIsAHumanRight

When the Job Ad Asks for Everything — and Offers Very Little

 I saw a job ad today. It listed everything you could ever ask for in a childcare professional: years of specialized experience, multiple certifications, trauma-informed training, cultural competence, leadership skills, organizational abilities, creativity, innovation, communication excellence, and — of course — passion, compassion, and commitment.

It also listed the wage: $26.74/hour for 21 hours a week.

This isn’t an attack on the organization. I believe they care. But this is what the sector has become: underfunded, over-pressured, and leaning too heavily on the emotional labour of people — mostly women — who are expected to carry the world on their backs for less than a living wage.

WorkforceNOW, Indeed, all these job portals… they depersonalize the process. They treat people like code, resumes like algorithms, and humans like checklists.

It feels hopeless sometimes. You spend years gathering experience, volunteering, educating yourself, and still — it’s never enough. Or it is enough, but only enough to be underpaid and overworked.

What does “inclusion” mean if it doesn’t include the workers themselves?