16-storey First Nations housing and shelter complex opens in Downtown Eastside | Daily Hive

16-storey First Nations affordable housing and homeless shelter complex opens in Downtown Eastside

Ho’-kee-melh Kloshe Lum at 1015 East Hastings St., Vancouver. (WCPG Construction)

A total of 168 affordable homes — entailing a mix of supportive, social, and rental housing — along with 80 homeless shelter spaces are set to open in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside as part of a major Indigenous-led housing project supported by BC Housing.

The newly-built, 16-storey complex, named “Ho’-kee-melh Kloshe Lum,” is located at 1015 East Hastings St. — what was previously a vacant site at the northwest corner of the intersection of Glen Drive and East Hastings Street, right next to the East Hastings Street viaduct over the Canadian National railway to the Port of Vancouver.

It is also immediately east of Wall Financial Corporation’s 2018-built, now-iconic Strathcona Village development with mixed-tenure housing, which is visually distinct for being inspired by the port’s shipping containers.

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The Ho’-kee-melh Kloshe Lum complex includes 25 purpose-built supportive housing units, 87 social housing units, and 56 secured purpose-built market rental homes, plus a new homeless shelter with 80 beds replacing a previous location by Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre Society (VAFCS).

Two social enterprises — the Hyiu Hiloima Tea Cafe and Klatawa Bike Shop — will also open within the ground level of the complex, which will be entirely operated by VAFCS.

Ho’-kee-melh Kloshe Lum 1015 East Hastings Street Vancouver

Ho’-kee-melh Kloshe Lum at 1015 East Hastings St., Vancouver. (Low Hammond Rowe Architects)

“Every new home and shelter space makes a difference for residents in Vancouver. This project contributes to a stronger, more connected city by providing a culturally relevant space where people can live, connect, learn and access the support they need,” said Vancouver mayor Ken Sim in a statement.

“We’re grateful to our partners for working together to bring this vision to life for the Downtown Eastside community.”

The project has been designed specifically to prioritize Indigenous residents and includes features meant to reflect Indigenous culture.

It includes family-sized units, ceremonial and gathering spaces, Indigenous art installations, and shared residential amenity spaces. Residents will also have access to a tower rooftop gathering area, landscaped courtyards, and a multi-level day centre offering counselling rooms, an art studio, lounge areas, and a gym.

Furthermore, the exterior facade’s colour palette, combined with First Nations murals and artwork, helps create a more vibrant and culturally grounded presence along the streetscape. This also includes murals for the secure enclosure of the outdoor courtyard at ground level.

Ho’-kee-melh Kloshe Lum at 1015 East Hastings St., Vancouver. (M’akola Development Services)

Ho’-kee-melh Kloshe Lum at 1015 East Hastings St., Vancouver. (Low Hammond Rowe Architects)

Ho’-kee-melh Kloshe Lum at 1015 East Hastings St., Vancouver. (M’akola Development Services)

Ho’-kee-melh Kloshe Lum at 1015 East Hastings St., Vancouver. (Low Hammond Rowe Architects)

The project has been nearly two decades in the making, according to Susan Tatoosh, who is the executive director of the VAFCS.

“Ho’-kee-melh Kloshe Lum (To Gather, Good Spirits) will be a transformative place that fosters connection, culture and community through a diverse range of housing options grounded in an Indigenous-centred approach,” said Tatoosh.

“We have worked toward this moment for 18 years and it would not have been possible without predictable, dependable, trustworthy partnerships across multiple levels of government. Though future partnerships and funding opportunities are uncertain, VAFCS will always remain dedicated to serving Vancouver’s urban Indigenous community.”

TransLink is planning to provide the R5 Hastings Street RapidBus with additional bus stops within the Downtown Eastside. This September, such extra bus stops — both eastbound and westbound — could be installed less than one block to the west of the complex, where Hastings Street meets Campbell Avenue. It would improve the complex’s accessibility to public transit, in addition to its existing immediate adjacency to bus stops served by local bus routes.

The project was designed by Low Hammond Rowe Architects. Vancouver City Council unanimously approved the rezoning application in early 2021, and major construction work began in Summer 2023.

To achieve construction, the provincial government provided about $40 million through BC Housing, and the federal government contributed more than $39 million, including over $19 million from the Affordable Housing Fund, $17.1 million from the Unsheltered Homelessness and Encampments Initiative, and $3 million from Indigenous Services Canada. The municipal government provided a cash contribution of $4.6 million and the in-kind value of the City-owned land of about $13.3 million.

Additionally, BC Housing will provide the supportive housing and homeless shelter operations with an annual subsidy of $4.4 million.

“People need a full spectrum of housing options to make sure they can live full, healthy lives in the community they love,” said Christine Boyle, B.C. minister of housing and municipal affairs. During her prior position as a Vancouver city councillor, five years ago, she also presided over the project’s rezoning application approval.

“These new homes and shelter spaces will be able to provide people the affordability and support they need so they can build a good life in the Downtown Eastside. We know this community has been resilient throughout compounding challenges and we are proud to build homes alongside community partners to lead this massively important undertaking to properly house people in community-centred, dignified and supported housing,” continued Boyle.

Ho’-kee-melh Kloshe Lum at 1015 East Hastings St., Vancouver. (Low Hammond Rowe Architects)

Ho’-kee-melh Kloshe Lum at 1015 East Hastings St., Vancouver. (M’akola Development Services)

Ho’-kee-melh Kloshe Lum at 1015 East Hastings St., Vancouver. (Low Hammond Rowe Architects)

Ho’-kee-melh Kloshe Lum at 1015 East Hastings St., Vancouver. (M’akola Development Services)

This area of East Hastings Street could see much more high-density redevelopment in the future, although one project was recently rejected for being too big.

This past March, City Council deferred and sent back the rezoning application for a three-tower, mixed-use residential project up to 39 storeys for Hastings Street sites immediately to the south and east of Ho’-kee-melh Kloshe Lum . It would have entailed 924 homes, entailing 767 secured purpose-built market rental homes and 157 social housing units for seniors.

The controversial “East Village” project was spearheaded by Westbank and Promerita Group and endorsed by BC Housing, with potential support from the BC Builds program. However, after hearing concerns from local residents, City Council determined the proposal was too dense, lacked sufficient public amenities, and would concentrate too much additional social housing in the area.

There are also longer term plans to redevelop the Pink Pearl Restaurant property into affordable housing, situated just kitty corner from the new Indigenous housing complex.

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