Ministry stands up for supportive housing residents slammed by Granville thrift store

The BC government is defending the residents of a supportive housing project after a longtime Granville Street business owner suggested they were to blame for the rising crime-related costs to his thrift store in the Granville Entertainment District.

The owner of Wildlife Thrift Store told Daily Hive earlier this week that he wants the Luugat, formerly the Howard Johnson Hotel, to be shut down due to its impact on his business and his employees.

The building at 1176 Granville Street was bought by the BC government in 2020 for $50 million, and since then, BC Housing has tasked Atira with operating the 110-room building for people in the community.

“Supportive housing provides much-needed homes for people who are at risk of experiencing homelessness to keep them off the streets and indoors where they can access the services that they need. If there are issues at a BC Housing-funded residence, tenants or neighbours are encouraged to reach out so that they can be addressed,” the Ministry of Housing said.

However, despite accusations that crime rose significantly after the hotel was converted to housing vulnerable populations, the province said that it is vital to the community it serves.

“We are not aware of any criminal activity that has been connected with the residents of Luugat. The Luugat prioritizes housing for older adults with medical and mobility challenges,” the Ministry of Housing said Friday.

That response is far from the action that Wildlife Thrift Store owner Gary Ahlqvist demanded earlier this week when he shared that his crime-related costs have skyrocketed to $300,000, in part due to having to hire a full-time security guard due to what he says has been an escalation in vandalism and assaults at the store.

“In 2021, The Howard Johnson Hotel on Granville Street was converted to house those experiencing homelessness, mental health and addiction — the EXACT demographic our business aims to help through regular quarterly donations and has in Vancouver for over 23 years now. All of those dollars 💸 COULD have gone/be going to the charities we benefit.”

Saying he wanted the space to be relocated or shut down.

“We lived for 19 years without security to all of a sudden, now $100,000 a year to pay a security guard who’s trained to take people down violently because that’s the only thing that will do the job. It’s immensely frustrating to us, and that’s what wears you down,” he said Wednesday.

He wanted the ministry to explain the next steps for that space, as the project was initially operating as temporary supportive housing while “long-term plans are developed.”

Now, the ministry said that the building offers “long-term affordable rental units with on-site services to people in the community.” It did not provide more details to Daily Hive’s question on whether the building would be replaced in the future or if the Luugat was here to stay.

Atira also casts doubt on allegations

Atira Women’s Resource Society told Daily Hive on Friday that it is committed to working alongside its neighbours, including the Wildlife Thrift Store, on community living and ensuring that all issues are dealt with.

The society says the Luugat was created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and when it opened its doors in 2020, the clients were primarily those who had been living in Oppenheimer Park, a former encampment that was cleared by officials in the spring of 2020.

“Given the urgency of the pandemic, the initial screening process was minimal to mitigate the risks posed to the community.”

The location was considered ideal due to its proximity to St. Paul’s Hospital and because the former hotel has two elevators and private bathrooms for each unit, which is an uncommon feature for Single-Room Accommodations. This is important because a large percentage of the residents have health challenges or mobility restrictions, and many of them are older.

“It is important to note that the Luugat was not the only building to open in response to the pandemic. Several other buildings in the area also provide housing to extremely marginalized individuals. The Granville neighbourhood is changing as services are decentralized from the Downtown Eastside (DTES), leading to an influx of vulnerable populations accessing services in this area. Examples include the Three Bridges Community Health Center on Hornby Street and the Gathering Place Community Center on Helmcken Street,” the statement explains.

According to numbers from the Vancouver Police Department, calls for service into the 1200 block of Granville Street have climbed, but details on exactly what those were related to are not provided.

• 2019: 856 calls
• 2020: 1,024 calls
• 2021: 1,162 calls
• 2022: 941 calls
• 2023: 1,110 calls

Calls for service to the store itself at 1295 Granville Street have skyrocketed from 15 in 2019 to 102 in 2023. However, when Daily Hive spoke with Ahlqvist, he confirmed that he didn’t always call the police as it wasn’t getting anywhere, and he also questioned the numbers.

Mayor Sim said he wants to tackle these challenges

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim says he understands the concerns raised by Wildlife Thrift Store, as well as other businesses, especially those in the downtown core who have been impacted by the “ongoing mental health and addictions crisis.”

“As mayor, my goal is to make Vancouver the best city to live, work, and play in. It’s important to strike a delicate balance between providing a safe and supportive place for our most vulnerable residents to call home while also ensuring our small businesses have the conditions to thrive,” he said in a statement provided to Daily Hive Friday.

 

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He said the City is working alongside Vancouver Coastal Health, BC Housing, and VPD to “build a stronger, more comprehensive approach that truly tackles these challenges. This includes bringing in community partners with a focus on safety for all who call Vancouver home — residents, businesses, and neighbours alike.”

He pointed to the hiring of more than 100 police officers as a sign of action as well as the push for more mental health nurses. The mayor had run in the 2022 election on the platform that the city would hire 100 mental health nurses; however, that promise has remained unfulfilled.

“It’s clear that gaps in our public safety approach continue at a non-municipal level. We’re committed to working with our senior government partners to develop a stronger strategy that targets repeat offenders. This collective effort will help uphold the safe, welcoming environment that all Vancouverites deserve.”

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