Police officers, nurses, teachers apply to rent affordable housing units
Mike Howell
Sun
The affordable housing component of the Olympic Village comprises 252 units located in three buildings at the Southeast False Creek site. Photograph by: Dan Toulgoet, Vancouver Courier
VANCOUVER — About 50 people working in public safety, health care or education in Vancouver have applied to rent 126 of the affordable housing units at the Olympic Village.
The city is reviewing the applications and hasn’t determined how many are from police officers, firefighters, paramedics, nurses or teachers. “We’ve had lots of people call us up,” said Dennis Carr, the city’s assistant director of social infrastructure, noting successful applicants could move in by August.
Council decided in April to rent the city-owned units at market rates and give priority to workers who are essential to the city, including police officers and nurses.
Another 126 units are available to people who require subsidized housing, including low-income families and people with mental or physical disabilities.
B.C. Housing is handling applications for those units but didn’t have a tally on how many people applied. A non-profit operator still has to be hired before applicants will be reviewed.
The affordable housing component of the Village comprises 252 units that are located in three buildings on the site at Southeast False Creek.
The nonprofit operator hired to manage the subsidized units may also manage the market rent units, although it is possible three different operators will manage each of the three buildings. The buildings were originally planned for social housing until council decided in April on a so-called 50/50 plan that split the units in half to create the current formula.
To make the plan work, and keep to the city’s goal of 20 per cent affordable housing for new neighbourhoods, the city kicked in $32 million. That’s because cost overruns on the units jumped from $60 million in 2006 to $110 million.
Carr acknowledged the city hasn’t sorted out details related to the market rent units such as a tenant’s eligibility once their household income increases.
The Courier presented a hypothetical scenario of a rookie police officer who moves in and the officer’s salary significantly increases over five years.
Does the officer then have to vacate?
“That’s a good question and we’ve asked ourselves that question and we haven’t landed on the answer yet,” said Carr, who also couldn’t answer whether a tenant whose salary doesn’t increase could rent a place indefinitely.
A city report that went before council in April estimated the rents could range from $1,601 a month for a 640-square-foot one-bedroom to $2,368 for a 1,480-square-foot four-bedroom place.
The rate for a one-bedroom is based on a formula that 30 per cent of the rent comes from an annual household income no greater than $64,040.
The rate for a four-bedroom at 30 per cent would equal an annual household income no greater than $94,720. The income threshold would climb to $142,080 if the city lowered the rent percentage to 20 per cent, which would still equal $2,368 a month.
The Southeast False Creek development also includes a community centre and a childcare facility. The city and park board have to find an operator for the facility before registering families and taking names on a waiting list.
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