BC government expected to announce aid for Vancouver's Downtown Eastside
The provincial government is expected to announce assistance for Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside in the coming days.
Mayor Kennedy Stewart hinted at the news on Wednesday when he provided an update on the city’s COVID-19 response.
The mayor says that he’s been having “productive and positive” conversations with Shane Simpson, British Columbia’s Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. Simpson was recently appointed by Premier John Horgan to manage a cross-ministry team and to overlook the province’s response to its two public health emergencies.
“I understand we will hear from the minister this week about how the provincial government plans to ramp up their efforts in the DTES in the short and long terms,” said Stewart.
Concerns within the DTES include maintaining and increasing access to housing and shelter, securing food delivery, cleaning single room occupancy (SRO) residences, and ensuring that there’s adequate access to the safe supply.
The City of Vancouver adds that it will help in any way necessary, including by opening up additional community centres or procuring more housing. The community centres at Coal Harbour and Yaletown-Roundhouse have already been activated for vulnerable residents, and act as referral-only response centres.
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Earlier this week, Vancouver Coastal Health announced an outbreak at a chicken processing plant located on East Cordova, in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Twenty-eight employees at the plant tested positive for the virus and are at home resting; however, it’s unclear as to whether residents of the DTES were affected by this outbreak.
“I – like many of the residents and workers in the Downtown Eastside – look forward to hearing the details of Minister Simpson’s plans in the coming days,” says Stewart.
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