Study urges immediate action to place affordable culturally-appropriate seniors housing at the heart of plans for Chinatown

Media Release
January 25, 2023

For Immediate Release

Study urges immediate action to place affordable culturally-appropriate seniors housing at the heart of plans for Chinatown

A new report coming out of a community-led study sounds the alarm on the severe lack of affordable, suitable and secure housing with culturally appropriate integrated eldercare for Chinatown seniors.

With deteriorating century-old buildings and a growing aging population, the Vancouver Chinatown Affordable Seniors Housing Inventory report highlights the existing inadequate seniors housing supply and how unprepared we are to care for our elders.

Many seniors in Chinatown and its vicinity live in precarious and unsuitable environments that are not senior-friendly, making-do with an absence of dedicated care as they age. What’s needed is immediate action to address the housing insecurity and lack of eldercare services that many seniors face now, which will only increase exponentially in the years to come as ageing accelerates.

Vancouver’s Chinatown, rich with socio-economic ties and cultural heritage, is envisioned as a “campus of care” where seniors can continue to live in the community as they age, without being disrupted from the familiar neighbourhood they have always known.

Seniors can then move through the seniors housing continuum of independent living, supportive housing, assisted living and long-term residential care homes within Chinatown and its surroundings, accessing affordable food, social spaces, and eldercare services that are culturally appropriate for their needs.

The study found that at present there are 12,788 units of affordable housing in 260 developments in Chinatown, Strathcona and the Downtown Eastside neighbourhoods, of which 23% (2,905 units) are designated as seniors housing spaces. With an estimated 7,200 seniors above the age of 55 years living in the area, the number of affordable housing currently set aside for seniors is inadequate.

The Inventory highlights that Chinese societies provide 784 affordable housing spaces, accounting for 6% of the total stock of affordable housing in the area. There is potential for these Chinese society-owned buildings, if refurbished, to provide additional, much needed units allowing seniors to age-in-place.

The study urges that the recommended strategies and measures be advanced with support from all levels of government, including dedicated funding, resources, and partnerships across jurisdictions as well as with the community and non-profit housing sector.

This includes the setting up of a governance structure that provides oversight to steer the proposed strategies towards implementation. For instance, feasibility studies would have to be carried out in the next phase of the study to pursue the possibility of viable sites in and around Chinatown to be developed for seniors housing with integrated culturally appropriate care.

Recommended strategies:

1. To secure and improve the existing stock of affordable housing designated for seniors;

2. To develop a dedicated stream of housing policy, with funding allocated for new affordable

seniors housing that integrates culturally appropriate eldercare services across the care spectrum

3. To re-imagine ways of senior living aligned with the vision of a campus of care in planning

towards ageing well in Chinatown and its vicinity

The report was prepared by UBC Public Scholar and PhD Candidate Louisa-May Khoo, andurban planner Carmut Me. The Inventory highlights how the current shortfall of affordable housing gravely impacts seniors housing security and well-being needs. The existing situation has to be urgently addressed to fill the gaps and meet the growing demand for more seniors housing and eldercare services in the coming years.

With the B.C. Premier’s recent announcement to dedicate $500 million to help non-profit housing operators to secure rental units, the City of Vancouver-appointed Chinatown Legacy Stewardship Group’s (LSG) Housing Working Group, together with other community partners, are asking for a more explicit commitment from all three levels of government to address the unique needs of Chinatown seniors and the potential of Chinatown as a campus of care.

Quotations:

Fred Mah (Chair, Chinatown Society Heritage Buildings Association)

“Society heritage buildings are an important part of Chinatown’s urban and social fabric and we take pride in our contribution to providing housing needs for seniors. To continue and expand on this valuable service, we need urgent government assistance and we are therefore joining other community partners in calling for immediate actions.”

Louisa-May Khoo (Report author; UBC Public Scholar; Ph.D. Candidate, School of Community and Regional Planning)

“We ought to do better. Protecting Vancouver Chinatown means protecting the rights of Chinatown seniors to age well in the neighbourhood they have always known. This requires more than just providing shelter. It is about integrating ‘hardware’ + ‘software’ + ‘heartware’. It is about combining the infrastructure with social support and a care ethos so that seniors can thrive in the community.”

Michael Tan (Co-chair, Legacy Stewardship Group; Board Director, Chau Luen Society)

“We owe a debt to our elders, especially on this centenary of the Chinese Exclusion Act. We should not have to justify why our parents and grandparents deserve culturally appropriate care”

Queenie Choo, (Chief Executive Officer, S.U.C.C.E.S.S.)

“S.U.C.C.E.S.S. is a proud provider of affordable housing for seniors in Chinatown offering residential, assisted-living and independent living facilities. Many of our sites include culturally appropriate supports for residents including Mandarin and Cantonese-speaking staff, familiar Chinese meals and cultural activities. We know that aging well in place requires holistic, culturally appropriate care. Currently there are not enough of these resources to meet the growing demand in the neighbourhood and so we call on government to help ensure quality housing and culturally appropriate eldercare is available to all Chinatown’s seniors.”

Background

In 2021, the City of Vancouver-appointed Legacy Stewardship Group’s (LSG) Housing Working Group identified a need for an inventory to better understand the existing stock of housing for seniors in Chinatown, Strathcona and the Downtown Eastside in order to highlight the gaps and plan for contingency actions and advocacy.

This was prompted by a recognition of the precariousness of housing for Chinatown seniors with the initial sale of Vancouver Grace Seniors Home on 333 E Pender Street which housed 70 seniors with ties to the Chinese community.

Following widespread concern expressed by the community, the Province stepped in and purchased the housing facility for the affected seniors. This development remains one of the handful of culturally appropriate seniors housing facilities in the Chinatown neighbourhood.

The case highlights the fragility of affordable culturally appropriate housing stock. Even as they are owned and operated by non-profit organisations, a more anticipatory and proactive approach for a housing policy attentive to the needs of seniors in Chinatown is required.

Representatives from a number of Chinatown groups, including Fred Mah of the Chinatown Society Heritage Buildings Association and Michael Tan, Co-Chair of the Vancouver Chinatown Legacy Stewardship Group, met in Nov 2021 with then Housing Minister David Eby and BC Housing staff to determine the next steps on ensuring these vulnerable seniors in a culturally significant area would be protected.

The Vancouver Chinatown Seniors Affordable Housing Inventory Report is released in January 2023, with inputs from:

• BC Housing

• City of Vancouver

• Chinatown Society Heritage Building Association

• Legacy Stewardship Group, Housing Working Group

• Office of the Seniors Advocate BC

• S.U.C.C.E.S.S.

• University of British Columbia

• Vancouver Coastal Health

To view full report:

https://bit.ly/Report_ChinatownSrHousingInventory

To view executive summary:

https://bit.ly/execsummary_ChinatownSrHousingInventory

Media contact:

Stephanie Leo

LSG Co-Chair and Housing Working Group Member

Email: [email protected]

2023 年1 月25 日

即時發放

社區呼籲採取即時行動將可負擔及文化適設的
長者房屋置於唐人街核心規劃之中

一份由社區主導進行的新研究報告﹐就唐人街長者面對嚴重缺乏可負擔﹑合適﹑供應穩定
並包含文化適切老人護理服務的房屋供應響起了警號。

有見及年代舊遠的建築物日漸失修以及人口老齡化的問題﹐這份名為『溫哥華唐人街可
負擔長者房屋清單』的報告闡述了目前長者房屋缺乏以及我們在照顧長者方面準備不足
之處。

唐人街及鄰近地區有不少老年人居住在對長者不友善﹑不確定和不合適的環境之中﹐並在
欠缺專門護理服務的情況下渡過晚年。隨著人口老齡化速度的增加﹐這情況在未來只會日
趨嚴峻﹐所以我們需要立即採取行動以解決房屋供應不穩定及欠缺長者護理服務的問題。
溫哥華唐人街擁有豐富的社會經濟聯繫和文化遺產﹐我們可以將這地方打造成為一個“護
理園區” (campus of care) ﹐讓長者隨著年齡增長時仍能持續居住在社區之中而無需離開他
們熟悉的鄰舍。

他們可以循序在唐人街及鄰近地區內設立的“獨立生活”﹑“支援性房屋”﹑“輔助生
活”及“長期護理院舍”等不同階段的長者房屋設施中居住﹐並享用價格相宜的食物﹑社
交空間以及適合他們文化需求的長者護理服務。

報告指出位於唐人街﹑士達孔拿及市中心東端地區內的260個設施總共提供12788個可負
擔房屋單位﹐其中23% (即1905個) 是指定為長者房屋的單位。按照估計目前有7200位年
齡超過55歲的年長人士居住在該地區內﹐這顯示出為長者而設的可負擔房屋數目並不足
夠。

這份清單亦顯示出目前由區內僑團組織提供的房屋位置有784個﹐佔區內所有可負擔房屋
數量的6%。這些由華人社團擁有的建築物若能獲得適當修葺﹐將有潛力提供亟為需要的
居住單位讓長者在這裡安享晚年。

報告呼籲三級政府採納建議中的策略和行動﹐包括提供特定撥款和資源﹐並建立跨越不同
政府層面和與社區及非牟利房屋業界之間的夥伴關係。
這包括制定一個具備監督功能的管理架構﹐把建議的策略引導至落實階段。例如﹐必須在
研究項目的下一階段進行可行性研究﹐以確認及將唐人街及鄰近地區內有潛力的地點開發
成為包含文化適切護理服務的長者房屋。

建議策略﹕
1. 保障及改善現有指定作為可負擔長者房屋的供應﹔
2. 制定一系列特定的房屋政策﹐並為包含文化適切護理服務的新建房屋提供撥款﹔
3. 在讓長者頤養天年方面的規劃上﹐重新構思配合“護理園區”願景的長者生活方式。

這份報告是由卑詩大學公眾學者及博士候選人邱惠琳 (Louisa-May Khoo) 及城市規劃師米
加宓 (Carmut Me) 編寫﹐清單顯示現時房屋供應短缺如何對房屋穩定性﹑長者福祉和需求
造成不良影響﹐目前的情況有逼切解決的需要﹐以便填補空缺及滿足未來不斷增長的長者
房屋和年長人士護理服務的需求。

隨著卑詩省省長最近宣佈將撥款5億元協助非牟利房屋營運者保護出租房屋單位的供應﹐
唐人街文化傳承督導會轄下的房屋事務委員會現正聯同其他社區組織﹐要求三級政府作出
更明確的承諾﹐以解決唐人街長者的住屋需求問題。

引述

馬清石 (華埠僑團傳統建築協會會長)

“華埠僑團傳統建築物是溫哥華唐人街市區和社會組成的重要元素﹐能夠在這些具歷史價
值的物業內為長者提供住所﹐我們深感榮幸。為了繼續及擴充這項重要服務﹐我們現正聯
同其他社區夥伴組織﹐要求三級政府採取逼切行動以保障長者的福祉。“

邱惠琳 (報告撰寫人﹔卑詩大學公眾學者﹔社區及區域規劃學院博士候選人)

“我們應該做得更好。要保護唐人街我們便需要保護唐人街長者在他們熟悉的社區內安渡
晚年的權利。這並非只是提供居所﹐而是需要加入“硬件”﹑“軟件”和“心件”﹐以及
將基建與社會支援及照顧的理念融合在一起﹐讓長者可以在社區中健康快樂地生活。“

周潘坤玲 (中僑互助會行政總裁)

“中僑互助會有幸為唐人街長者提供住宿院舍﹑支援性房屋以及獨立生活設施等不同形式
的可負擔房屋選擇﹐我們所提供的文化適切服務包括﹕聘用能說國/粵語的職員﹑供應長
者熟悉的膳食和安排文化活動。我們明白讓長者安享晚年需要有完備和文化適切的護理服
務。 目前我們沒有足夠資源來滿足社區日漸增加的需求﹐所以我們向政府發出呼籲﹐希
望確保所有唐人街的年長人士都能享用到高質素及文化適宜的長者護理服務。“

譚聖佑 (文化傳承督導組共同主席 ﹔昭倫公所理事會成員)

“我們對長輩感到虧欠﹐尤其是在排華法通過一百周年這日子。我們亦無需要為父母和祖
父母值得享用文化適切的護理服務作出辯解。“

背景

在2021年﹐由市府委任的文化傳承督導組(LSG)轄下之房屋事務工作小組認為有需要制定
一份清單﹐以便加深了解唐人街﹑士達孔拿及市中心東端等地區內的長者房屋供應情況﹐
並查找不足之處和就急需採取的行動作出倡議。

當時有消息傳出位於片打東街333號溫哥華天恩頤安院的物業即將被出售﹐此舉會導致
70位年長居民面臨被迫遷的困境﹐事件更突顯出唐人街長者房屋欠缺穩定供應的危機。
在社區表達廣泛關注下﹐省府決定介入為受影響的70位年長居民購下這幢物業﹐這是現
存少數在唐人街地區內提供文化適切服務的房屋設施之一。

事件反映出包含文化適切服務的可負擔房屋供應極為脆弱。雖然目前有一些由非牟利機構
擁有及營運的設施﹐但是我們仍然需要為唐人街長者制定更可預計和主動的房屋政策。
多個社區組織的代表﹐包括華埠僑團傳統建築協會主席馬清石和文化傳承督導組共同主席
譚聖佑﹐在2021年11月與時任房屋廳長尹大衛及卑詩房屋局職員會面﹐並討論下一步行
動以確保居住在這個重要文化地區內長者的福祉得到保護。

『溫哥華唐人街可負擔長者房屋清單』是在2023年1月經下列組織/部門商議後向外公佈﹕

• 卑詩房屋局
• 溫哥華市政府
• 華埠僑團傳統建築協會
• 文化傳承督導組轄下之房屋事務工作小組
• 卑詩省長者倡導辦公室
• 中僑互助會
• 卑詩大學
• 溫哥華沿岸衛生局

瀏覽報告全文

https://bit.ly/Report_ChinatownSrHousingInventory

瀏覽報告摘要
https://bit.ly/execsummary_ChinatownSrHousingInventory

媒體聯絡﹕
廖綺眉 Stephanie Leo
文化傳承督導組共同主席
電郵 [email protected]