By Chuck Chiang

He mentioned he needs to combine the neighbourhood into the remainder of town and “break the cycle of hyper-concentrated social companies,” whereas cracking down on gang exercise.

Sim introduced the plan on Thursday on the Save Our Streets discussion board, held by a coalition involved about crime and public security in B.C.

“For too lengthy, tons of of hundreds of thousands of {dollars} have been spent with out delivering significant change,” he mentioned in an announcement.

“It’s time for a brand new route, one which prioritizes restoration, inclusivity, and public security whereas integrating the (Downtown Eastside) into the broader Vancouver neighborhood.”

The mayor mentioned Vancouver has 77% of Metro Vancouver’s supportive companies, together with housing and shelters, but solely has about 25% of the inhabitants.

He mentioned pausing development of extra supportive housing would permit town to “concentrate on renewing and revitalizing the present getting old housing inventory” for the wants of the neighborhood “till supportive housing availability will increase throughout the area.”

Plentiful Housing Vancouver, an advocacy group that helps housing provide, mentioned it was “shocked and upset” by the proposed supportive housing freeze.

“The answer to homelessness is housing; constructing much less supportive housing will simply end in extra homelessness,” it mentioned in an announcement.

Along with the supportive housing pause, the opposite two platforms of Sim’s technique have been against the law crackdown and updating the Downtown Eastside Space Plan to “encourage a mixture of housing, companies, and companies,” as a substitute of a concentrate on supportive housing, shelter companies, and social companies. 

“This enables for the combination of the (Downtown Eastside) neighbourhood into Vancouver’s broader neighborhood, guaranteeing a extra balanced, supportive surroundings for residents, companies, and guests,” an announcement from town outlining Sim’s announcement mentioned.

Sim mentioned town and Vancouver police would launch a crackdown on organized crime and gangs working within the Downtown Eastside. 

“This initiative goals to deal with street-entrenched violence by dismantling legal networks that exploit susceptible residents and undermine neighborhood security,” the assertion mentioned.

Sim and a slate of councillors below the ABC Vancouver occasion have been swept into energy in 2022 with a promise to enhance public security. 

Save Our Streets chair and co-founder Clint Mahlman mentioned Sim’s proposal to deal with the focus of social companies and supportive housing within the Downtown Eastside was according to “greatest practices” in international locations similar to Switzerland.

“Certainly one of our consultants that had studied in Switzerland described that getting folks out of a concentrated space — the place it will increase the potential for publicity to folks that will pull them down once more — was an enormous a part of the success of the Switzerland mannequin,” Mahlman mentioned.

Mahlman, who’s the president and chief working officer of retail chain London Medication, mentioned there was extra to be achieved about public security.

“It stays at a disaster level,” he mentioned. “And I feel that was expressed by the residents within the final provincial election as one of many many points … (the place) they want change.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first revealed Jan. 23, 2025.

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Final modified: January 24, 2025