Families on the street!
Where else to sleep? Vancouver's homeless need affordable housing.
The recommendation by City staff to allow a US company to put in a fitness center and spa in Storyeum was heard by Vancouver City Council on January 31, 2008. Council only agreed to enter negotiations with Eco Fitness to rent 1/3 of Storyeum to it. It is not too late for citizens to express opposition. The street homeless can still be sheltered in Storyeum. The fitness center/spa proposal projected a $750,000 profit as rent to the City in their first year. This pales in comparison to the $52,000,000 per year it costs not to provide shelters. In 2001 the BC government estimated that it costs $40,000 per year to keep one person on the street. During a 6-month period 30,000 homeless persons were turned away from City shelters (Nov 2004 to Apr 2005). It would make economical sense to use Storyeum as a homeless centre and shelter to defray some of these costs. And, it is a must thing to do for our most precious resource (people). Please sign the epetition.