Redeye

Community homelessness project, plus single-room occupancy hotels

| January 26, 2006

Show Notes:

(00:17 - 17:45)
Volunteers at Renfrew Community Centre in East Vancouver are offering hot breakfasts and other services to homeless people in the neighbourhood. The result has been a new level of understanding amongst community residents of the problem of homelessness. Jo-Ann Stephens talks about the problems they had getting the program off the ground and the successes they have achieved.

(17:48 - 30:39)
Residents of the Pender Hotel have filed a lawsuit against the city for damage that occured after police, firefighters and city officials suspected there was a meth lab in the building and kicked in every door in the hotel. David Eby is the lawyer for the hotel residents. He talks about the raid and about the importance of preserving single-occupancy suites in the city to combat homelessness.