My son lives in BC housing controlled rent in Van. He knows of many who work full time, but still can't afford housing. And yet, when low cost housing is proposed, people say: "not in my back yard" Well, like it or not, they already are in your back yard. Rent controlled and monitored housing, or people literally using your yard as a toilet? The working poor cannot afford Vancouver rent.

This is gotta be real scary to deal with everyday. Becoming homeless. I couldn't imagine how they do this.. waking up every morning to the end of the day. Trying to survive. Could be any time you'll end up real homeless on the streets. Than what.. some of us are very lucky. not to be homeless..

I visit several non profit building on the DTES for work and can 100% confirm the conditions is even worse than this at many of them. The smell of death is rampant in most. Rooms so hoarded you can’t even open the door. Some tenants change their locks but in an emergency there’s no rescuing them because of that which is scary. Drugs are everywhere, needles etc.

I meet many people who live in SRO's, Their stories are harrowing and it's not the SRO that's the problem, it's some of the people that live there that make their lives hell. The good people are bullied and harassed day in day out. They need to be monitored by healthcare professionals and police.

Thank you for showing this side of things. It humanizes the people and situation better.

Unfortunately I have been in a few of these buildings. The first thing that hits you is the overwhelming smell. It is a rancid mixture of urine, feces, vomit and worse. Completely unbearable. Somehow people get used to that and live there. Then there is the lack of privacy, you could see into all of the rooms through the gaping spaces between the door frames and walls. And forget about locking your room. I've talked to people, (men and women), who just cower under their blanket as people will come in and pilfer whatever they want. Praying that no attention is paid to them, which often happens. Meanwhile the general public looks away or makes up stories about the poor souls who are forced to live in this squalor. Gee, what a nice caring christian society we live in, aint it wonderful.

This could happen to so many, with the food prices and cost of living rising every day! I have a good job. Honestly, if my landlord sold the place I'm in, my one pay cheque wouldn't cover a month's rent! Our government has failed us.

So the landlord spraypainted the walls and broke everything? Gee, I wonder why nobody wants to dump money into fixing them when residents turn around and ransack them.

Terrible conditions. From my experience having a friend in a similar place, its the residents that ruin it. Hes a nurse now though. Didnt accept living that way.

Maybe they should put the addicted people in treatment instead of giving them more drugs

Vancouver and it's elected officials cannot fix this problem, it's a cancer -like matrix built on trauma over generation, the drugs just keep getting worse and cheaper. An opportunity for recovery and a cohesive follow through with mental health services and housing as a trifecta could help, for those that can and want to get help. If a person has mental illness and a drug problem it is very difficult to access enough lucidity to even ask for help, and needs advocacy from someone on the outside who is invested. How would anyone escaping this hell otherwise?

What a wonderful society has been created in Canada, I'm sure more of the same policy will be able to fix it!

I pay $725 a month for a room in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. I receive a $335 portable housing benefit from the Ontario Government. The Housing Up program funded by the Ontario government helped me find affordable housing. My first Housing Up application got declined without cause when I was at the shelter at Mission Services.

I know Bob from an old job I had and he a pretty good guy! Hope you figure things out, Bob!

I don't understand why drug addicts and people with mental illness are given so much freedom to be homeless and carefree. An institution outside of Vancouver needs to be established to help these individuals get back into society and deal with the addiction. No, this is should not be an option, it should be absolutely mandatory. I am tired of downtown smelling like piss all the time, I am tired of these druggies breaking into my car for their next dope hit

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for showing the lives and suffering of Vancouver's DTES. Please show more stories. There is so much to tell. You are breaking trail and breaking the silence of DTES.

Maybe have housing for those who want to get out of their hopeless situation and want to get clean with a 6 month trial bases that offers support and guildance . It is clearly the drugs that is the major problem, with disability, mental health , poverty and unaffordable rents contributing to the rest of this dire situation.

WOW! Why doesn't the government build new buildings for people! They got the resources! They have known this is a problem for many years!

This “too bad, so sad” attitude that society projects on to people who fall on hard times must change. No child dreams of this kind of life for themselves as an adult. True, there are those who do not want help, but I believe many do. Society needs to increase social supports for those on the edge so that they do not fall down this hole, especially those with children. It is so much harder (and expensive to society) to come up from having lost nothing than to put extra supports in place when one’s situation is a bit more stable (e.g., not yet homeless but could very well be soon). The trick is getting the politicians on board. Most only offer bandaid solutions for optics. The poor are not a revenue-producing entity for politicians or governments, so they are not pressured for more systemic change. People need to stand up before all the middle class disappears, and the 21st century Victorian era begins.

Seems like substance abuse is the #1 problem.

What the hell 700 for this!!! Sickening and people are profiting from this. What a disgrace. Please keep reporting on this. In Vancouver where rich people are living in houses that can fit two families is COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE

There are so many cracks in the systems to fall through. No one should have to live like this in order to have shelter and be able to keep their things. Someone needs to set these people up with a situation that inspires hope for all. Someone with deep pockets who wants to leave this world better than they found it.

The city politicians are focused on more important things like more bike lanes (WTF??) and overpriced apartments> I could just vomit grrrrrrrrrrrr

I also live in an SRO (Standing Room Only) place. Everyone here sleeps like a bat. : )

Why would you repair anything? The next mentally unstable tenant is just going to eff it up again They need to be in care.. forced if need be.. , not dumped in a dilapidated room

The way we just dispose of people for the profit of the ALREADY RICH in our society is disgusting, We think we are so modern and advanced and decent but when it comes down to it we are sick our priorities are sick.

I want to help these people soooo badly and I wish I could do all sorts of things for them, but I just can't risk donating my money to people who don't want to change or who don't want to help themselves first. If they can prove that they truly want to be sober, I'd be more than happy and willing to support & help them along in their process...

My landlord decided to give me a n12 notice in my duplex. My sister lived upper and i am lower main floor. She didn't file with LTB just fedex mail with wrong address and didn't offer me the upstairs when my sister moved on the 7th. She rented it already, and wants to move into my unit. I have NO WHERE to go, I'm 26 years old with two sons 9 and 6yr old. No family, nothing. I applied for over hundred without one reply in the 6 weeks since i gotten the invalid notice. Have lawyers retained and have a strong case since all the legality issues that came along with improper notice, and not offering the upstairs as compensation. So my heart goes to everyone that has housing ripped from under them.. I didn't do ANYTHING wrong, lived here going on 7 years never had one late direct deposit rent payment, not one utility bill in arrears, nothing. I have a credit actually on my enwin bill of +$1789.00. SELFISH AND GREED OF THE LANDLORD IS PUSHING ME OUT TO BE HOMELESS, LOOSE MY CHILDREN DUE TO NO HOUSING, THE ONLY WAY OUT IS IN A BOX OR INCINERATOR. 💔 😔 TIRED OF BEING SICK AND TIRED. WINDSOR ONTARIO IS HELL. DO NOT MOVE HERE OR EVEN VISIT. TRUDEAU THANK YOU FOR DESTROYING OUR HOUSING MARKET. YOU SURE DID DO A NUMBER ON US IN ONTARIO.

I am sorry to hear it what is the address of that sro

The reporter starts off with an agenda then tries to get viewers to agree with that agenda I would not want any of these tenants in my house or even neighbourhood.

PP4PM !! Let's go Canada !!

I wonder what other countries do not evict people who don't pay rent? I think that's a very bad policy. If this policy works we should have less people suffering. The government should bulid more free houses for them if they really want to help rather than putting the responsiblities to the owners. Landlords needs to pay mortgages too. Every year we got lots of rich immigrants buying houses, paying high property taxes, but every year the government r not doing their jobs....now we even got drugs problem everywhere, even in schools. I just smell corruption.

Sad, no human should live this way or on the streets. Who did that art work?

Heroin is a hell of a drug.

So who owns these buildings???

sad :(.....

It’s a problem only fixable by the government, but where’s the political incentive?

It's all a lucrative industry down there - from the street level drug trade to the government level social organizations.

of course drug addiction is the underlying issue here.

Ample resources exist to help these people; most just don't want to give up their zero-responsibility drug life. The decision to quit the drug life must come at the personal level.

In Fort Nelson BC, it's $550.00 a month for a two bedroom apartment 🤔

Good job NDP, the politicians are making money, they have a home

How many of these men even try to be serious about finding work?

This is crazy 🤪 in a wealthy city.

A wise man once said "show me the incentive and ill show you the outcome" Housing is not an investment opportunity or a privilege, its a right. If not everywhere, at least in a climate like canadas.

This is why my family and I go to work everyday. The CBC and millions of these young people are counting on me to support them.

Who is the goddamn owner of this rat trap?? SMH.

How come i personally feel CBC is not helping with this issue, but part of this societal issue? 😮

What was the point of showing yet another horrid bdlg and circumstance without a solution. Theres barrels of Cash in this City. Maybe skip moving the Art Gallery and get everything that can renovated done and more housing built 1st & Foemost!!!.

All Politicians are to blame especially the City with the horrible Mayor Simms wants only super overpriced Apartments He will not build anything affordable

What Sob story, No one wants to ask to "Tenants" how they ended up there to begin with. Ask yourself if you would fix anything after it had been broken on purpose and ruined day after day to collect measly rent. Personal responsibility and accountability is the only way these people get out of this mess. It's the only thing that separates the working class from being these people.

Yes, they have money to pay their addiction and they have no respect for the place they live. Landlords pay heavy taxes, no one ask them if they can pay or not. It’s very expensive to repair everything these days!!

We did most things at the office at home for a year. Give the homeless the offices. Problem solved

The problem is drug addiction.

They complain about the conditions but these people destroy these Buildings. There is new affordable housing buildings that have been put up through non profit organizations and they are just like studio condos. Fully furnished;free laundry, 1-2 free meals a day. Only 6 months after the building was finished it was filled with bed bugs, mice, cockroaches. These people tweak out and go garbage picking and bring all kinds of junk back to the building and trash these buildings. And then play the victim

Unfortunately the housing problems and the drug problems make each worse. The drugs we have here are unpredictable and amphetamines cause irregular behaviours. People living with addiction can’t take care of a home or themselves without help. So just giving them a space is not working, and having them all live together is even worse. Plus these slumlords actively keeping the units in a state of decay. The only way out is to stop the influx of drugs and to try to help people out of addiction.

We as humans need to stop collecting things, cause we move on eventually one day. Over whelming to get rid of junk.

Do better. I am sure two adults can afford a one bedroom place, bathroom etc. Choices and priorities

No hate at all for not paying rent when there is NO BATHROOM OR DOOR???? What next? No windows?? The walls?? Insanity!! And to think these are the people who are fortunate enough to find housing in the first place.

Well part of the issue is we are a capitalist society, which boils down to, "money drives everything." Unless we are willing to go down a partial socialist system where low income housing can be mixed into high cost residence there is very little we can do. Landlords also faces high taxes, high overhead, etc... We should not be surprised that if they can make extra income they wouldn't take it. Yes Landlords are in a more advantageous position but there were sacrifice in order for them to get there. The old days of generational wealth has moved on from Land to stocks in large corporations and equity that control a vast portion of wealth. I highly doubt that these Landlords are raking it in with these low income housing. With no incentive to continue running a low income housing it is no wonder they will sell to a developer or a flipper. While we hate the current situation that these people are in unless we revamp the entire way we do business we are going to just continue with this problem with small band aids not actually fix it for good.

$700/mth for that?!?

Cbc can you interview both sides to each narrative? Maybe reach out to the landlords and talk about the rising costs they have... You know big picture.

Probably Chinese owner to.

they still do drugs and his girl freaks out when she doesnt have a cigarette

Those Canadians who can help, don't give a cr%p this country has men, women and children on the street and no one cares! Do what you have to, to survive.

How is this allowed!!!!

when you give people with addictions more money, they will use more drugs and then trash their homes and then get evicted. people with addictions need to have their government checks managed by case managers. otherwise, the money that they get from the government (tax payers) will go into drugs.

That should be places we put politicians than they would see how great a job there doing disgusting

Justin T is responsible for this mess.

More SROs need to do this! 🙏🏻

Don't do drugs

Omg awful 😢😢😢

no one pays rent so theirs not going to be a nice place to live. Who would want to be a landlord and rent to these animals

SO now everyone can have a good laugh at how we live. And yes, we can hear the laughter all the way down in the Downtown Eastside.

WELCOME TO BEAUTIFUL BRITISH COLUMBIA....

it wouldnt matter its so corupt thats it even if you were the one eal person they would call a audition for theyre actors to be you

This is why you make good decisions in life, and you don't enable people who live a parasitical lifestyle and refuse serious help even though they're offered numerous times. It would be nonsensical to have sympathy for those who refuse needed help and refuse to change (thus, the definition of insanity). People lie in the bed they make, this is the reality of existence.

I didn't realize how bad Vancouver was and how much we were used to seeing homelessness and drug use in public until my co-worker from Calgary came on a work trip here and was taking a walk in the evening outside her hotel and saw a man lighting himself on fire....I pray for these people. May God/The Universe bless and help each and every one of them because this is no way to live. I pray that anyone who is currently looking for affordable rent in the lower mainland finds a place within their budget. 🤍🤍🤍

Np sympathy for drug users. Please

You can see they all got drug problems just help them with rehab

Not all SRO's are as bad as this

justin trudeau did that

FOR DTES THIS IS NOT NEWS//////

How dare the person who's invested their money & risked it wants to kick out all the filthy drug addicts from its property & raise the rent so they can protect there investment #meth

i dont live there ill never get anything outta it take it everyone else did it is not something fixable i had so many using my name theyvdo itvon purpose no one believe you or care and it went both ways those are all seized prkperties

I thought Justin Trudeau takes care of these people. Way to go dude.

700.00 rent for that ?!!! That is robbery ! The city allows this corruption ? . God help these people ! This is America ! Shame on the rich who could help change these situations !

I don't feel sorry for these druggies, I'm sorry, not sorry

Poverty pimps...

Should sue thr landlord. Do a water test show its unsafe sue

Moral of the story: Don’t do drugs. Even if the government gives them to you

Trudeau's Canada. Shame.

Move to cheaper city, in a cheaper province and get a job!

Start moving them to the west side.

No one cares.

If the landlord gave me a eviction notice, I would thank him. I would be out in 3 days rather then 3 months.

I'm down to pay more taxes (or at least get corporations and politicians to) if people in bad situations get to have a home. Who's with me

Why are they sticking in vancouver tho? Why not move out to chilliwack or somewhere inexpensive? Instead of burninf 100s of millions year, why aren't the government invest in inexpensive area and create quality jobs? Canada is the 2nd largest country in the world!!

The way I have a nice place is I work

stop trashing the place = nice place to live , hard to wrap your head around the concept right?