INCOME AND RENTAL HOUSING FACTS – CITY OF NORTH VANCOUVER 2010

2790 City of North Vancouver renters are paying more than a third of their income for housing, and are at risk of homelessness(1).

1735 of those are paying more than half of their income for shelter.

1235 of those are Lower Lonsdale renters. The median income in the area is $27,833 (2)

2065 residents there are living on less than a thousand dollars a month.

730 of the City’s 2500 lone parent families live in the Lower Lonsdale area.

Size	Average rent
Bachelor	799
1BR	899
2BR	1116
3BR	1401

Even secondary suites are not always affordable:

“If I could find a two bedroom basement suite for $1200, I would think I’d died and gone

to heaven”(3)

. . . recent anecdotal information indicates there are an increasing number of homeless seniors

and families(4),

Evidence shows that the length of time that persons have to live in inadequate, unstable housing conditions is associated with both physical and mental health status (Lubell, Crain, and Cohen, 2007)(1).

Projected ten year need: 600 additional affordable rental units , 300 for low income

In the past ten years, apart from secondary suites*, the only increase in rental units for families has been in the high market (rented condos) except for two units created for women coming out of Sage Transition House5

1. 2065 people with income living in Lower Lonsdale in 2005, were living on less than a thousand dollars a month. Statistics Canada census, 2006.

2. Income figures from 2006 census, Statistics Canada

3. Young professional churchwoman speaking in a housing focus group conducted for Housing the North Shore, Spring, 2009.

4. Housing Vulnerable Populations on the North Shore: an Inventory and Gap Analysis. Julia Howard, SFU, for North Shore Homelessness Task Force, Dec. 2009, p.5

5. Aside from families, there were 54 units for seniors (Kiwanis) added and 42 units for mentally challenged people (Quayview), and 50 emergency units.

Table 16: Summary of Unmet Housing Needs on the North Shore , 2009 (6)

Type of Housing	Existing Units	# Turnaways or Waitlisted	Estimate of total need	Estimate of additional need
Homeless shelters	45	187 turnaways (NS Lookout Shelter, Apr. to Oct. 2009)	114 beds (2008 Homeless Count)	69 beds
Emergency Housing for Youth	4 beds	368 turnaways (Youth Safehouse, from Jan. 2008 to Nov. 2009)	13 homeless youth	9 beds
Transitional housing for adults	25	n/a	114 beds (2008 Homeless Count)	89 beds
First stage transitional housing for women with families fleeing abuse	18 beds	183 turnaways (Sage Transition House from 2007/2008 to 2008/2009)	n/a	n/a
Second-stage transitional housing for women with families fleeing abuse	2 units (2 BR3)	5-6 families waitlisted per vacancy (Hope’s Place from 2007/2008 to 2008/2009)	6 units	4 units
Transitional housing for young men with concurrent disorders	5 beds	91 waitlisted as of Nov 09 (Goodman House)	96 beds	91 beds
Transitional housing for youth	2 beds	368 turnaways (Youth Safehouse, from Jan. 2008 to Nov. 2009)	13 homeless youth (2008 Homeless Count)	11 beds
Transitional housing for single women (no abuse)	0 beds	81 turnaways (Sage Transition House from 2007/2008 to 2008/2009)	16 women homeless (2008 Homeless Count)	16 beds
Transitional housing for women with concurrent disorders	0 beds	34 turnaways due to mental health issues 52 turnaways due to substance misuse (Sage Transition House from 2007/2008 to 2008/2009)	Approx. 25% of homeless women (CMHA Ontario, 2003)	4 beds
Low-Income Seniors	1155 units	153 waitlisted as of Sept. 2009 (BC Housing)	n/a	153
Low-Income Families	478 units (Coops not included)	135 waitlisted as of Sept. 2009 (BC Housing)	n/a	135
Singles	n/a	29 waitlisted as of Sept. 2009 (BC Housing)	n/a	29
Disabilities	n/a	87 waitlisted as of Sept. 2009 (BC Housing)	n/a	87
Wheel-chair modified	n/a	9 waitlisted as of Sept. 2009 (BC Housing)	n/a	9

n/a = data not available

6. Housing Vulnerable Populations on the North Shore: an Inventory and Gap Analysis. Julia Howard, SFU, for North Shore Homelessness Task Force, Dec. 2009, p. 33