Poor to get housing help ahead of 2010 Olympic Games
…it’s amazing how many homeless people one sees in the most advanced countries and the richer cities of this world. Also amazing how friendly some of the homeless can be if one actually takes the time to sit and talk to them…instead of observing from the safety of their own post, fearing of being told off. A very different look at Vancouver, BC….with the ultimate sign of growth and success towering the sklyline in the background against some people’s reality in the foreground……
Photo from http://flickr.com/photos/43126730@N00/253965968
The province of British Columbia said on Tuesday it will spend C$80 million ($69 million) to protect the supply of housing for the poor, which some activists say is threatened by developments ahead of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
Gordon Campbell, premier of the West Coast Canadian province, said some of the money will be used to buy 10 buildings in Vancouver, which has seen affordable rental housing torn down by a crush of condominium construction in one of Canada’s most expensive housing markets.
Campbell denied the funding was linked to the 2010 Games, but protesters have recently targeted Olympics-related events to complain the plight of the city’s homeless was being ignored.
The funding will protect nearly 1,000 affordable housing rental units in the Vancouver area and in the provincial capital of Victoria.
The province said it will also fund “supportive housing” projects that are designed to help homeless people get off the streets permanently by giving them access to services such as employment training.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters)
