On Tuesday, June 25, 2024, Neighbourhood Solidarity with Unhoused Neighbours members were invited to tour the newly opened supportive housing building at 953/959 Balmoral (which I now know has been named The Lily). This is a report from one of the NSUN members who toured the building.
This building was originally scheduled to open in ‘summer 2022’ (see https://ehq-production-canada.s3.ca-central-1.amazonaws.c…) making it almost 2 years late – and this despite the fact that this is a modular build which I thought might make it faster.
What I liked:
- The room that I could see off of the entry way didn’t look to be as ‘surveillance-y’ as some as I have seen that have a wall of monitors each showing several camera feeds
- The individual rooms were more spacious than I expected and were light and airy with very high ceilings
- There didn’t seem to be cameras apparent (one at the entry but I didn’t see any on the floors though I didn’t look carefully – I didn’t see any in the stairwells though I only went down one floor)
- Drains built into the floor in both the bathroom and kitchen and flooring that curves up onto the wall so there are no crevices for dirt to lodge in (so smart!)
What I didn’t like/was disappointed in:
- No air conditioning on any floor above the first – it’s great to have big windows for light but that also means heat (though there are blinds) – sadly ironic that this building is opening on the third anniversary of the heat dome that killed 619 people in BC – I think it is unconscionable to put up a brand new building without air conditioning
- No oven – again, not a deal breaker for many I am sure but it would be nice to have some units with them so perhaps those that might want to bake or roast a turkey at Thanksgiving could ask for one of those rooms
- No bathtub – this wouldn’t be a deal-breaker for me but I know many people find baths really soothing and good for destressing
Overall I think it looked pretty good and occupancy is supposed to start in 2 weeks. Of course the system is so choked with people waiting that there is little to no chance that anyone from an encampment will get in there – rather people who are in shelter/transitional units will be the priority. I hate that we operate from a scarcity mindset where it’s kind of dog-eat-dog in the waiting line for housing.
Some pictures below.
Neighbourhood Solidarity with Unhoused Neighbours 