The City of Vancouver is launching its community survey on Aug. 3 and urges residents to “pick up” the phone between Aug. 3-9 to tell the City what they think about livability, city services and community priorities.
“We really want to encourage people to pick up their phones if they receive a call or text inviting them to take the community survey,” said Communications Director Laura Shepard. “The survey provides residents an opportunity to tell us about their experiences with City services, quality of life and what is important to them as Vancouver residents.”
The City has contracted with DHM Research, a Northwest-based research firm, to help develop and conduct the survey. Individuals contacted by text to take the survey will know it is the City’s survey by seeing the City’s logo/wordmark in the text. If you are contacted by phone, the surveyor will clearly identify themselves as being from KGS Research.
The survey will be offered in English, Spanish, Russian and Vietnamese to ensure individuals can take the survey in their preferred language.
The City conducts a community survey approximately every two years. The results will be published on the City’s website.
The city is using their best intentions to locate a sub-tiny-home community for homeless people near downtown. While I understand these intentions, the result will be a change in the nature of that neighborhood, a potential increase in crime, and a decrease in the values of homes and businesses which face this new ‘neighbor’.
There must be better places to locate this, which will be close to the services these people need, but not plopping them into a neighborhood, where they will not fit.
It seems to me that the city council has made up their minds to create this Safe Community Housing project. Instead of listening to the concerned residents in the area, it falls on deaf ears. The council members don’t have to live across the street from this project, but instead go home to their nice little neighborhoods. This is a worthwhile project, but it should be located elsewhere than downtown Vancouver. Do your homework. Listen to concerns of the businesses that surround this project. Find another location.
I support Safe Community Housing projects. I also have empathy for my friends that live and run local businesses in downtown right where the next Safe Community is being considered. Given what these establishments look like I agree with the concerns that this latest one will change the character of the area in a negative way, deter visitors from returning or staying in that area, and overall decrease property values. At the same time we know we need to embrace this type of housing as one of many solutions to the housing and homeless crisis. All solutions come with a price. My question to council members, City management, and the Safe Community House project owners: Why can’t we develop these projects in a more community oriented way? Assuming you have learned from the ones put up to date: logistics, costs, unforeseen challenges, etc., and from these lessons learned you have improved the process for putting them up. Now that we have a couple under our belts, are we not at a stage now that we could start to enhance how they look? Start small, like maybe having a nicer looking fence to enclose the residences. What if local fencing company donated one, hung a sign to advertise who provided and how to contact them if interested in the same nice fence. We have beautiful hanging flower baskets running up and down Main Street that we keep watered and fresh. Why couldn’t we install something similar around these residences? I believe the biggest barrier in having the surrounding neighbors embrace these Safe Communities is they look trashy. How much more would it take to incorporate them into the targeted neighborhoods? Most of us choose a residence based on how inviting the neighborhood looks and once part of the neighborhood we put the effort in to keep that neighborhood looking nice and inviting. Why can’t we do the same with these temporary housing locations?