New eviction map shows where BC's most vulnerable tenants are being kicked out
A map highlights where people have been evicted in BC and it’s a wealth of information on some of the provinces’ most vulnerable and impoverished tenants.
The new eviction map was created by First United Church Community Ministry Society, which provides services and support to vulnerable populations in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside neighbourhood.
First United launched the map on Saturday, May 13 and the organization says it’s the first of its kind in BC. They’ve been gathering data through their BC Eviction Survey since June 2022 with an aim to help make BC tenant protections stronger, providing evidence to hopefully form the basis of a law reform platform, said First United in a release.
Amanda Burrows, Interim Executive Director said that the map is laying the work for broad change. “We know that in order to truly help people out of the cycle of poverty and to support them to thrive, we must change oppressive systems and the Eviction Map will help us do that,” said Burrows.
The project, led by Director of Systems Change and Legal at First United Dr. Sarah Marsden, organized its findings into four major themes:
Prevalence of “Landlord’s Use” evictions
First United
According to the report, a majority (58%) of respondents cited “Landlord’s Use” as why they were being evicted, meaning that the landlord (or buyer) wants to move into the property themselves or move in a family member.
The survey also looks at the cost of eviction for tenants.
First United
After being evicted, many people reported having to pay between $500 to $1,000 and even more than $1,000 more in rent at their new place than they paid before they were evicted.
Homelessness after eviction
First United
While most people reported being able to find a new place to live, many could not, and Indigenous respondents were more likely to be unable to find a new place to live after they were evicted, 45% compared to 27% of overall respondents.
Neighbourhood displacement after eviction
First United
The vast majority (80%) of respondents had to leave their neighbourhood entirely after facing eviction, but household income played a significant role in who was displaced and who was not.
Prevalence of informal evictions
Around 28% of evictions in the report were informal, where a landlord did not properly issue a Notice to End Tenancy. According to First United, respondents who were LGBTQ2S+ or people of colour experienced informal evictions at a higher rate.
You can check out the evictions map and the interim report on the findings via First United.