3475 CAC Meeting Notes for February 26 2015

3475 East Hastings Site Community Advisory Committee
Meeting Notes – February 26th, 2015
Meeting Agenda:
1. CBF Organizational Structure
2. Operational Model
3. Performance Metrics
4. Ongoing Reporting
5. Other Business
6. Next Meeting
Attendance (Bolded names indicate attendance)
Community Members:
 Debra Nothstein
Franklin Elementary School
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Lara Davis
Franklin PAC
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Patricia Barnes
Hastings North BIA
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Tom Beasley
Resident
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Elaine Wardley
Resident
Sheldon North - alternate
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Alexis Flynn
Resident
Trish LaNauze - alternate
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Gavin Zhang
Resident
Peter Wong – alternate
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Colleen Mitchell
Resident
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Gisele Bernier
Resident
Partners & Agencies:
 Brenda Prosken
City of Vancouver
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Jim De Hoop
City of Vancouver
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Bob Moss
Carnegie Outreach
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Ali Gailus
Vancouver Police Department
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Graham Edmunds
Vancouver Police Department
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Clair MacGougan
Community Policing Centre
Operators:
 Gordon Wiebe
Beth Wolfe - alternate
Liza Jimenez - alternate
CBF
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Crystal Wiebe
CBF
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Vy Nguyen
CBF

Susan Tatoosh
VAFSC
3475 East Hastings Site Community Advisory Committee – Meeting Notes
Barb Lawson (alternate)
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Please be aware that these notes have been prepared to capture the essence of the meeting and are not
intended to be a verbatim record. CAC member comments or questions are noted in italics – these are
not attributed to individuals. Abbreviations are as follows: Community Advisory Committee (CAC),
Community Builders Foundation (CBF), Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre Society (VAFCS), City of
Vancouver (CoV), Vancouver Police Department (VPD), Vancouver Fire Department (VFD) and BC
Housing (BCH).
Introduction by Brenda Prosken:
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Brenda Prosken: General manager of Community Services to facilitate meeting
Tonight’ meeting will focus on common interests and solutions to concerns of community
While the City and operators believe that there have been few issues, that may not be the
perception of the community members
CAC recently approached Councillor Reimer with concerns associated with this facility
The City representatives attended Community Dialogue session and have come to understand
reasons for concerns in the neighborhood, and the responsibility of the City members to address
these issues
CBF has collected operational information which has been brought to this meeting
1. CBF Reporting
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Context: CBF operates the facility in partnership with VAFCS
CBF works within a network of three different organizations which operate 10 facilities in
Vancouver
CBF’s tenant population ranges: some buildings have hard-to-house tenants with much staff
availability and other buildings have limited staff and many tenant leaders
Self-sufficiency model and bottom-up organization that works closely with the tenant population
Performance Metrics
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We project that 118 tenants will have been housed over a two year period in this facility
o Occupancy: 54
o Average tenant outflow of 5 percent a month
o Currently, we have housed 93 tenants
We project that when tenants exit the building, 4 percent will go on to permanent housing (private
housing or government-sponsored housing); 1 percent will return to the shelter or another facility
We project a balance in tenant population:
o Over the years, we have found that tenants fall into a 10-80-10 model
o 10 percent of tenants have very low-needs and often move onto to assist staff in the
buildings
o 80 percent of tenants would have moderate needs (minor addiction or medial issues)
o 10 percent would have high-needs (Addiction issues, palliative care, high number of
medical issues)
The actual numbers exceed expectations
 31% of the tenants have low needs, 64% have moderate needs, 5% have high
needs
 Most tenants have come from shelter- addiction and other struggles have been
acknowledged and dealt with; thus a high number of people from shelter are
lower needs
Emergency incidents:
o We project that over a 15 year period for all of our buildings, we have an average of 2
incidents per 100 population;
o The average in this facility was 2 incidents per week over the last month
o This number does not include medical emergencies
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Note: the fire department responds to all emergencies, including medical emergencies;
however, fire trucks have rarely attended incidents at this building
o There are various reasons why the police may be seen on site:
 Police have community-related visits and are invited to the building for routine
walk-through’s
 We have a case management form for every tenant that has a high need. Staff
then work with health teams to find appropriate resource for care
 To date, all tenants that have a need for case-management has a case
management file
Internal rating system
o CBF staff complete routine checks and rating checks for: room inspections, food service,
case management
 Rating system is a 5 point scale (5- exceeding expectations, 1- greatly under
expectations).
 The rating of this building is high: there are few hoarding, pest, maintenance
issues
 Two meals served daily; other features of Whole Life Housing program
Self-sufficiency
o It is the goal of CBF to operate strictly on the received tenant rent
o CBF receives no provincial funding from Health nor from BC housing
o Monthly revenue: $20,000; expenditures: $20,000
o City had offered contingency fund which has not been used for this project
Staffing model
o Staffing model is based around a Tenant Support Coordinator who works Monday to
Friday
o Staff use online database including shift reports to VPD and health liaisons, tenant
profiles, rent records, other support-relevant information
o Staff work in front office and work closely with tenants. There is a focus on building
community
Community Watch program (CW)
o CW program is a tenant-based initiative in place in most of our other buildings
o Tenants assist Tenant Support staff with simple tasks, including cleaning and meal
preparation
o Tenants assist with tenant support, may graduate to doing full tenant support shifts in
other buildings
Staffing Model Diagram
o This building has a 7-day residential live-in stay by a CBF director or retired professional
 Currently, Gordon is living in this building to keep notice of all issues
 When Gordon does not fulfill this role in the future, another CBF person will take
on this responsibility
o 7-day residential on-call support
 Paid by CBF tenant leadership staff
 Community Watch provide role of emergency response (fire alarm response,
other tenant issues)
 CW member makes call to CBF’s 24/7 phone line for immediate response
o Call number is forwarded to 24 hour/7 staff at 604-899-0915
o Tenant Support Coordinators and Management executives are on-call at all hours and
are notified of issues
o Tenant Support Coordinator works in building M-F; 8 am-4 pm
o Navigator from VAFSC works M-F
o We have an average of 2 visits per week from neighborhood police officer
o An average of 1 visit per week from executive of CBF
Budget-Wise Meal Ideas
o Building was served by VAFCS by meals catered from their catering department
o In January, there was a change to a model which is more consistent with the meal
programs in place in our other buildings.
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This model is based on tenant involvement. As our tenants have the goal of moving on to
stable, permanent housing, assisting with the meals allows life skill development in this
process
o Average stay in this building is 8 months. While tenants stay in this transitional facility,
one goal is to allow tenants to learn to make their own simple meals
o Meal cost: 50 cents per meal.
o Breakfast, for instance, includes boiled egg, coffee, toast, and peanut butter
o VAFSC has taken some of CBF’s basic meal planning and is augmenting with their own
food provision
o Tenants are contributing to the meals with donated food from the community
 For instance, tenants have augmented a vegetarian chili with a meat chili
o Provided meals are nutrition-focused
o Every tenant has a meal allowance portion from monthly assistance allowance. This meal
program is intended to augment that food provision to allow tenants to participate in meal
preparation
o The Budget-Wise-Meals document is an education and a guide for meal planning in this
facility
Governance Model of CBF
o There are 3 organizations: Community Builders Foundation, Anhart Foundation, and
Community Builders Group
 Community Builders Group: operates 6 buildings
 Community Builders Foundation: operates 3 buildings (3475 E. Hastings, 1335
Howe Street, Dodson Rooms)
o Anhart Foundation owns the Jubilee rooms and funds all international humanitarian work
o Social entrepreneurs have invested in our projects, money is reinvested into our
international work
Discussion:
Question: Question regarding 7-day residential live-in stay:
Was there a period of time when there was no one fulfilling the position of 7-day residential live-in stay?
What is the protocol going forward?
Answer: CBF tried the model at this facility, and the model worked very well. In November and December,
we decided to return to the original model. The position of the live-in person will be permanent going
forward. In November and December we had a change in staff, but there was never crisis- it is only that
building was not up to standard. The building is now back to the operating standards which were met at
the beginning of the project.
Comment: That period of time was also a transition time for the staff members of VAFCS as well, and this
may have contributed to the transition period experienced by the tenants. There was a new navigator and
a new Tenant Support Coordinator.
Comment: What is the monthly rent payment?
Answer: The rent is $375, the damage deposit is $187.50. Most of the rents are paid by the Ministry of
Social Development. Fifty percent of the tenants are aged 49 and older, 25 percent of the tenants who
are 65 and older are paying by other means; 25% are employed. The rent revenue pays for all operating
expenses, property management costs, meals, staffing and overhead. The lean model and tenantempowerment system used by CBF allows the coverage of all of these expenses.
Comment: CAC member is pleased that Gordon has moved back into the building. This thought provides
comfort as additional support is needed in this building and someone should be in the facility on a fulltime basis.
3475 East Hastings Site Community Advisory Committee – Meeting Notes
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Question: How do you define an incident?
Answer: An incident is defined as “criminal matters or major fire issues which have an impact on the wider
community.” Routine in-house incidents are not included in this reporting focus; however, all incidents are
documented with a written incident reports which are scanned and uploaded to the tenant support base.
Tenant support coordinators maintain a close relationship with neighborhood police officers, community
policing centre, and VFD inspectors.
Question: The number given is projected weekly incidents- does this number include significant incidents,
or is it some other definition?
Answer: There is a gray area. If the police are called because a tenant is in an inebriated state, this
incident could be seen to potentially affect the community, or it could be seen as a potential concern for
the community. In fact, the reported numbers are comprised of incidents which we feel are significant
(and do not include routine medical issues that really do not affect the community).
Comment: The definition of incident should be the definition that the experts (including VPD) agree is an
incident which affects the neighbourhood. The definition reported to the CAC should be a definition which
the experts believe is an incident that we should know about.
Action: There should be an agreed-upon definition of an incident and clarification on the spectrum
of incident qualification. CBF will work with VPD to more clearly define the constitution of the
incident statistics.
Comment: VPD are giving independent reports of criminal activity in the area. CBF will continue to do inhouse reporting.
Question: What do you consider to be a high-needs person?
Answer: If a person has an untreated addiction, mental health, or justice issue, we consider this to be a
high needs person.
Comment: It is the hope that the budget-wise meal plan is not the only food that the tenants receive.
Answer: Tenants also have a food allowance beyond the $375 given for their rent payment. The support
allowance which they receive is a minimum of $210.
Question: Is the food paid for or provided?
Answer: Rent payments come directly to CBF. The tenants themselves also receive an allowance from
the Ministry in a separate cheque (minimum $210). Two meals are provided a day here and the tenants
do not pay for this (included in $375). There are light cooking facilities in every room. The tenants are
encouraged to keep their own food.
Comment: From the point of view of the residents, there are often questions from neighbours about the
fire trucks and VPD vehicles observed at the front of the building. Many times these questions are asked,
and the CAC members do not have the answer. If the residents and VPD can agree on definition of
incident, CAC members can more informatively give answer to these community concerns.
VPD comment: Sine the lasting meeting, calls for service/incidents have remained the same. If there are
mental health calls, ambulance will not come to building usually without a VPD officer present- police
vehicles may therefore be seen at the building and this would be included as a call for service. The calls
for service also include instances of arguing tenants, inebriated tenants, and other similar minor issues.
Comment: The VPD must keep a record of number of calls made on a 911 basis or non-emergency
basis. How many times have VPD attended to an incident in this building?
3475 East Hastings Site Community Advisory Committee – Meeting Notes
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Answer: To clarify, there was only one fire incident that required a VPD response.
Question: How often does VPD attend incidents here by 911 response, by in-house calls, by residents, or
anyone else?
VPD response: These are called ‘calls for service’ and the number works out between 2-2.5 per week.
The number of calls for service includes subpoenas, medical issues, and domestic dispute issues. The
number of calls for service have remained the same.
Comment: This is a community that has not had much experience with crime. While this has not changed
greatly in statistical terms, any one incident found is one more incident than would have been seen
before. Any small number of instances in this neighbourhood is very much felt and observed. There is
great neighbourhood awareness in this area and every incident which happens is immediately known by
our CAC members.
Comment: We need people to understand that this community that has had the same families for 60
years and we are fed up with the massage parlors, marijuana dispensaries, crime, etc.; the residents
would like their community back.
Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre Society Updates
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Barb continues to work with CBF staff on an ongoing basis to ensure that they are maintaining
healthy balance and dynamic in the building
83-85% of placements in the building come from VAFCS shelter; others come through City of
Vancouver and Carnegie
Of 54, there are 46 coming in from Vancouver Aboriginal shelter. The tenants have normally been
in the shelter for a long time so that feedback can be given to staff about history of residents
Vancouver Aboriginal shelter- has 6 staff in the evening, 3 staff in daytime and 5 staff at night
Staff there get to know most residents and tenants are assisted in their applications so
information is exchanged with Barb regarding the residents’ suitability for 3475 E. Hastings
Some tenants end up going back to shelter, all go through exit interviews
Many tenants have been waiting longer at this facility because housing that was expected was
not made available
Now there are more placements available so current tenant numbers are expected to change
Barb does final intake- Vancouver Aboriginal shelter is minimum barrier shelter
Assessment is based on income and current life situation. Ongoing assessments are done to
maintain balanced dynamic
Discussion
Comment: When this facility opened, CAC member visited the shelter and was impressed with how wellrun the facility was. It is comforting to know that the tenants were coming from there to here with the staff
and facility that was seen.
Comment: I am sure the shelter continues to be well-run and you would encourage people to come to the
shelter for a visit at the appropriate.
Question: Is VAFCS going to return to the facility and resume the meal program?
Answer: That is not part of the plan at present.
Question: What is the role of the community navigator?
Answer: The Navigator’s role is to teach life skills, talk about budgeting, connect with resources to
overcome barriers, and provide other supports. The navigator works with each tenant to identify their
needs and reassess needs in their situation.
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Comment: VAFCS and CBF continue to work in unity and cooperation with each other on a daily basis.
Question: What was the explanation for the food program incident?
Answer: Susan Tatoosh is the executive director of the VAFCS and has worked with CBF in partnership
for this project. We have deep respect for the aboriginal culture in Canada and understand that the needs
of the aboriginal population are important. Recently, Gordon and Susan have met together to discuss
these issues. The changes that came at the end of December caused a difficulty at 3475. We had some
tenants who were unruly with the catering staff. There was some shouting at the presentation of the meal
after Christmas.
Comment: VAFCS has changed how the food is to be provided. The VAFCS staff were being treated
unfairly. The dynamics changed in this building, which resulted in the eventual change of meal
arrangements here. Now CBF runs a meal program based on tenant involvement, and tenants are better
assisted in life-skill development.
Question: What information do we have from the City regarding the plans for the facility?
Answer: The plans for this facility are yet to be confirmed. We have seen that this facility is functioning
quite well and we will continue to work together in support of the project. It is possible that this facility will
continue but not yet confirmed.
Comment: What information do you have concerning communication with the Mandarin-Chinese
population?
Comment: The meeting notes are translated into simplified Chinese and posted on the website. If there is
someone who would like to volunteer to translate the document, please let us know.
Comment: In Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau, traditional Chinese is used. In Mainland China, simplified
Chinese is used.
Action: Brenda will look into considerations necessary to have the information from the
Community Dialogue Session translated into Mandarin-Chinese.
Comments: The discussion at this meeting may not answer some of the questions brought up at the
public dialogue.
Comment: We should devote some time at the next meeting to discuss communication issues and
adequate address of community concerns.
Action: Time will be devoted at the next CAC meeting to discuss the questions and concerns
raised by the community at the Community Dialogue Session in December.
Comment: The CAC can work with the partners of the project on the documents in order to give accurate
information to the community as a follow-up to the concerns raised.
Comment: There is a concern that many questions raised at the Community Dialogue have not yet been
answered. There needs to be more discussion on the issues raised and this will take some time.
Comment: The Community Dialogue came about as a result of the need to give public notification for
continuing to permit the buildings to operate.
Comment: Brenda may facilitate a few more meetings and Jim De Hoop will facilitate others.
Comment: A few days ago, an email was received from the Strata Council for the high-rise building near
Boundary. The letter expressed that ever since the Ramada was converted to house the homeless, there
was an experienced increase in break-ins and related crimes. As this facility is not in Vancouver, is there
a way to engage these neighbors?
Response: Brenda encourages the concerned persons to find specific information on the reported
incidents. People need to start reporting crimes so that the VPD can have an accurate report. What is
seen as increase in crime may be relative.
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Comment: Collen’s Blockwatch is about to compose questionnaire to mail-out to the community.
Questions include: How long have you lived in the neighbourhood? Have you noticed a change in the
incidence of crime?
As a community, the BlockWatch committee will present the questionnaire responses to the City of
Vancouver and Burnaby. The responses are expected within two months and will be paid for by the
BlockWatch Committee. Years before, criminal activity was lower in the neighbourhood. It is believed that
this facility has had a negative impact on the community.
Vancouver Police Department Updates
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VPD comes to building one to two times per week
There are 2-2.5 incidents per week on average
There has been a slight increase in incidents in the community due to recent break-ins etc.
Incidents can also be reported online
VPD directs their resources based on calls for service and spikes in certain areas
Ali Gailus comes to building for routine visits and meetings which contributes to VPD presence
Comment:
Comment: Four to five years ago, the partnerships with VPD were not as strong as they are today. It is
heartening to see the support we have had from VPD over the years.
Comment: There are many unreported incidents. Many residents do not report because they feel that the
loss too small for insurance claims.
Question: Do case numbers from incidents which are reported online contribute to the statistic of
incidents
Answer: Yes, but the number of online incidents reported take more time to be processed as a statistic
Comment: There was a concern about increase in foot traffic. Many people are coming from SRO’s in the
downtown eastside or Burnaby. Some foot traffic is accounted for by homeless persons from other areas
of the city and not necessarily from this facility.
Comment: At the Community Policing Center, one challenge is trying to discern between fact and
perception. Clair would be happy to meet with community members to discuss how neighbours can
better protect their property. Community policing is open to set up meetings with BlockWatch regarding
how neighbourhoods can be better protected.
There are 3 reasons to report incidents to the police: (1) for immediate police assistance; (2) legal
reasons; (3) To allow the statistics to properly reflect the number of incidents- resources are directed
based on statistics and priority. Everyone is encouraged to call in incidents or inform Community Policing
Center for discussion.
Comment: When homelessness is discussed, the perception that arises is a person of a certain
demographic, is able-bodied, and has no income. The tenants in this building are not of a single
demographic or age group, but have different needs and life circumstances. They are here to secure
stable housing and overcome many of the barriers which keep people from having homes.
3475 East Hastings Site Community Advisory Committee – Meeting Notes
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Community Updates
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CAC would like to thank partners for bringing information and working through the difficult issues
in the past few weeks
Tom Beasley would like to discuss future project plans for community meals
CAC would like to thank Gordon for meeting with CAC
Discussion
Comment: Suggestion for meeting minutes: include Actionable items in notes
Comment: It would be good for people to have the confidence that when a major incident happens in the
building, it is put forward to the CAC and there is transparency
Action: Major incidents are to be discussed, within privacy rights, with the CAC so that members
may remain informed and report on issues which may affect the community
Question: Currently, how is this building operating in relation to the City of Vancouver (renewal plans)?
Comment: Currently the City has an annual agreement with CBF and VAFCS. At present, it is likely that
there will be discussion of an extension. In the future, this building may be redeveloped dependent on the
needs of the City.
Comment: December 2013- building opened. December 2015- plan will be revisited. Negotiations are
occurring now. Currently, there is a lease-hold with a month-to-month agreement, as occurs in the
absence of a confirmed long-term agreement. There is possibility of a long-term (greater than one year)
agreement.
Comment: CAC appreciates the information provided today and appreciate transparency and inclusion of
the CAC in the discussion of relevant issues. The CAC has no interest in discussing private tenant
matters.
Action: Terms of Reference will be distributed for discussion at the next meeting.
Next meeting
March 26th, 2015
6:00-8:00 p.m.
3475 East Hastings Street
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