Affordable Housing, Poverty and Homelessness in British Columbia

According to the United Nation’s latest human development report, Vancouver is one of top ten best cities to live in in the world. Vancouver is renowned for its mild climate, breathtaking scenery and inclusiveness, all of which make Vancouver a beautiful city to live in. However, despite this beauty you are also likely to find people with low income in Vancouver. In fact, you are apt to see homeless people on the street. It is not surprising that an Insights West poll found that half of British Columbians are concerned about affordable housing, poverty and homelessness in the province.

To begin with, housing prices in Vancouver keep going up. The population of Vancouver is increasing but the number of housing units are limited. Furthermore, there has been a lot of foreign buyers buying up housing in Vancouver. These things cause the price of housing to go up and make it difficult for the average person to get a mortgage. Additionally, interest rates and the amount needed for down payment are creeping up. Even if you can buy a house, you end up having a long-term debt, up to twenty-five years. Increasing house prices can lead people in Vancouver to be deep in the hole.

Secondly, British Columbia has the highest rate of working poor in the Canada. The cost of living is so high that many people struggle. When they struggle, sometimes they go into debt. Every year, the consumer price index keeps going up, even getting groceries can be difficult. This can cause poverty to run in the family.

Finally, homelessness in Vancouver has been an issue for a long time. Growth in the city’s homeless population has slowed but data is also showing that more people are living on the street now than ever before. The two main cause of homelessness in Vancouver are the above mentioned two factors - the cost of housing and lack of income. People out there on the streets are suffering. Not only are they living on the street but those kinds of living conditions can affect their health problem and lead to crime-related issues.

In conclusion, Vancouver has two faces. On the one hand, it is a beautiful city that people the world over want to live in. On the other hand, it is faced with some social issues. The government has tried several approaches and completed many studies to better understand the options that can be used to solve or reduce these issues. However, while the rates of the issues tend to stop increasing, they have not been reduced. This is why British Columbians are still concerned about these important provincial issues – affordable housing, poverty and homelessness.