A minor zoning change can maintain housing for more than 600 people in Vancouver who have previously experienced homelessness.
The City of Vancouver is considering a by-law amendment that could double the lifespan of Temporary Modular Housing (TMH) locations, a suggestion which we at PHS thoroughly support.
TMH is a relatively new concept for cities facing a housing crisis, allowing homes to be built quickly and cheaply, frequently on underused parking lots or on land awaiting development. They can be dismantled and trucked to other locations as new temporary locations become available.
The City notes that THM can be constructed in three months, being made of prefabricated parts that are craned into place. And although the sites are called temporary, units are comfortable and welcoming: functionally designed, highly insulated, and with a kitchenette and private bathroom.
PHS operates three TMH buildings in Vancouver (Chartrand Place, Hummingbird Place and Margaret Mitchell Place, which has its own annex) and one in Victoria, The Juniper.
Take a look inside Hummingbird Place:
There are currently 618 TMH units on 10 sites across Vancouver, and one more location under planning review.
The first opened in 2017, with zoning that established a possible 10-year lifespan. (That is, a five-year development permit that can be extended by a further five years by City planners.)
This proposed extension of the TMH’s is extremely welcome in safeguarding critically needed housing in a city suffering from an acute housing crisis.
There are at minimum 5,232 individuals who are homeless across Greater Vancouver (2025 Point-in-Time Homeless Count), and all levels of government have a moral obligation to use every tool available to bring these people indoors.
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Open Letter from the PHS Board
Dear Mayor and Council,
As Board members of the PHS Community Services Society that provides housing, health care, harm reduction and health promotion for some of the most vulnerable and under-served people in Vancouver and Victoria, we support extending the development permit for temporary modular housing (TMH) to 20 years.
We have TMH in our portfolio and found it to be a cost-effective and efficient way of providing housing for our population.
TMH provides urgently needed housing to alleviate homelessness, and closing existing TMH before more permanent housing is developed would only exacerbate the homelessness crisis.
While, given the great need, we advocate for more permanent supportive housing, extending the development permit limit from five years to 20 years will allow for more stability for the people who are housed in TMH.
While we welcome the proposal to extend existing TMH leases, we also urge the City to look for opportunities to develop more TMH. Modular housing allows for faster construction, cost savings, enhanced quality control in factories, and reduced waste. It can be customized, reduced disruption, is suitable for most locations and energy-efficient.
TMH for people who are unhoused can offer vital on-site services such as mental and physical health support, and employment assistance.
Again, we highly support this amendment.
Kind Regards,
Donna Baines
Jeff Brooks
Jan Christilaw
Glen Clark
Penny Gurstein
Bobbi Hoadley
Perry Kendall
Lisa Lapointe
Chelsey Legge
Clayton Pecknold
Christine Singh
