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Faculty + Participants 2024
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Accessible Housing for Youth of East Vancouver and the Downtown Eastside

About the Author:

Ché Clearsky

I was born in 1999 In North Vancouver and grew up in East Vancouver, I have lived there most of my life. My mother comes from the Lil’wat nation in on mount Currie reserve here in the west coast. My mother had to drive to the city to give birth to me and my father comes from the Kainai nation Blood reserve in southern Alberta. I am a first generation off reserve first nations person. My name inspired from the revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara, my father chose my name Ché because he is an advocate for indigenous peoples and of the youth, he was a part of movements, organizations, and protests in his early 20s.

I live in the Downtown Eastside and have spent my time helping support individuals that populate the D.T.E.S. I provided maintenance services with plumbing, carpentry, and electrical repairs for some residents living in SROs (Single Room Occupancy). I spent my time working in A homeless shelter off of Hastings street , helping create a safe space for those that feel like they have no where else to go, letting their guard down and getting out of survival mode, making them feel seen and not invisible, because they matter. Giving them stability by meeting their basic needs, two meals a day, bed and shower helps them focus on what they want to do to put their life on back track and pull themselves out of the situation they may find themselves in. Currently I am working as a youth outreach worker, with Watari counseling & support services, being able to take a closer step into the lives of those that I am supporting I am hopeful to bring positive changes into someone’s life. Even as a teenager I was included in doing community work as a day camp counsellor/out of school care, although at the time I did not realize it, it was my calling to be a pillar of support for others.

I have grown a heavy heart for those in my community and especially those that are in unhoused situations. With YPP I am hoping we can make change for unhoused or street involved youth to get more resources and supports

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This policy ask is based around the housing needs of low-income youth in the DTES. Currently, any possible solutions either have a limited time to make an application at a certain time of year, or are not available at all due to long waitlists that offer no short-term accessibility to their services, which leaves youth with no available options . But with many new developments being built around dense metropolitan areas in Vancouver, such as The Broadway plan, the City Of Vancouver now has an opportunity to allocate these new units in an equitable manner.

I propose that housing solutions are implemented with lower-income youth in mind for future developments, and to create stable environments for young adults to flourish in. Doing so would ensure that these youth can become independent, and get a fresh start without the worry of pests and infestations that often come with living in single-room-occupancy (SRO) units.

Various housing efforts in the Greater Vancouver area, such as West Vancouver’s Affordable Rental Initiative, and the Vancouver Affordable Housing Project, already exist. Translink has planned future developments around Skytrain Stations and Express Bus routes. By pooling together what works from existing housing and transportation projects, I believe we can make a worthwhile investment into the future of Vancouver youth. I propose that the municipal government and provincial government create accessible housing by holding units for youth from the ages of 18-25 within the low-income bracket, and reduce 20% off of rent to a rate of rent at 80% so that the youth can get out of the $2,000 range if rent is on par with the average monthly rent of $2375, according to the Metro Vancouver residential report of 2024 from Sterling Management Services, LTD Realty Group. Property managers and/or landlords can still make profit from the other tenants who are not under the policy, and incentivize landlords with tax breaks applied to those new developments opting into the policy. If a building is designed to have under 50 units allocate 8% to youth in low-income and buildings with over 50 have 10% units allocated to youth with low-income. The percentages are based on being able to change a few lives, and to make change without the disruption of major missed income and properties are more willing to apply the policy.

Watch Ché’s policy presentation: