Tenant-led initiatives + advocacy to improve the habitability of SRO housing 🔨 ⚖️ | Located on occupied Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh, & Musqueam land | Est. 2015
Today around 40 tenants were displaced from Keefer Rooms after a fire started in Gain Wah. Thank you to everyone in the community who came together to help tenants & their pets. Shoutout to Jill @VOKRAtweets for quickly showing up with cat carriers, food, and supplies!
We’d like to say thank you to the participants, team, attendees, and the Faculty of Human and Social Development at UVic (@UVicHsd @HSDResearch@uvic) for making this panel such a success.
We hope that you’ll join us as we keep working towards a tenant-led future for DTES SROs.
R2R tenant co-researcher Richard Schwab shares a story of his demoviction 17 years ago. He found a home in his current SRO, and support to advocate to improve amenities through the @dtes_collab. They organized, petitioned for phone service, and won!
Wendy Pederson, Executive Director or the DTES SRO Collaborative (@dtes_collab) speaks next. Wendy shares a poem by Sandy Cameron. Says the community is in the worst shape it’s ever been. Residents are suffering because of divestment from social assistance, housing.
“All the best solutions for helping people have come from the street”
Woodward’s, VANDU, WAHRS. People are in danger, we need people to get on board. R2R and the @dtes_collab have a good plan in place to create a real safety net. We’re talking about buildings, but also lives.
Our wonderful panelists are:
Tom De Gray, Richard Schwab, Kevin Nanaquewitang, and/or Boomer Bundy, SRO tenant researchers with the Right to Remain Collective (@R2Rvancouver),
Wendy Pedersen, Executive Director, Downtown Eastside SRO Collaborative (@dtes_collab),
...
We’re grateful to @UvicHsd and @UVicResearch for creating space for us to share our work, speak directly to policy makers, and highlight the importance of community-based research.
It’s not too late to register! We hope to see you there.
Since 2016, SRO tenants, organizers, academics, and students have worked together under the R2R banner to improve SRO conditions.
This week, we’re off to Victoria to share our experiences of the fight for housing justice in the DTES, and what’s next.
https://t.co/1QUn0ByHQM
On May 11, join Prof. @Jeffmasuda, a researcher for housing justice, @R2Rvancouver and others to hear stories about the fight for tenants’ rights in Vancouver’s Single Room Occupancy housing. @HSDResearch @UvicHsd
Read more: https://t.co/aifIctiJDh
“If you don’t have heat, why are you paying rent?” frustrated tenant Stephen Walsh said in an Tuesday interview. “I pay $700 a month.” https://t.co/0Ddz3zPS2D
Happy to share this advocacy update @FCM_online after unanimous Van council vote to protect rents in SRO’s. Fed programs to sustain & increase affordability in below market housing choices is necessary for long term impact reducing displacements/homelessness @dtes_collab#vanpoli
The @dtes_collab is hosting a vaccine passport workshop tomorrow and Saturday at their office - 2nd floor of Sun Wah Center, from 10am -12pm & 1pm- 4pm.
They will help you get your vaccine passport set up and are also doing color-printing and laminating.
Show your support for the residents of CRAB Park! Demand that the Park Board withdraw its request for an injunction. People have the right to decide what safe, and suitable housing is for themselves! #Vancouver#vanpoli#homelessness
A very important decision to protect some of the most affordable and precarious housing in #Vancouver. Huge thank you to the SRO Collaborative for their advocacy on this! #VanPoli#HousingIsAHumanRight
More info here: https://t.co/Lf6ExjWNjL