New affordable housing in Vancouver offers priority to single mothers

Residents are settling into their new homes at a 70-unit affordable rental building in East Vancouver at 388 Slocan St., which prioritizes single women and single mothers.

This project, a collaboration between BC Housing, the YWCA Metro Vancouver, and the City of Vancouver, includes 34 units owned by BC Housing and 36 managed by the YWCA, which also oversees the building’s commercial space.

The six-storey building features studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom units around a central courtyard with a rooftop terrace and urban garden. Of the 70 homes, 14 are geared to income and reserved for single mothers and their children, with the rest available at below-market rates.

The initiative is part of a $19 billion provincial investment in housing.

“We’re meeting the challenge by working with partners and investing in housing,” said Niki Sharma, MLA for Vancouver-Hastings.