SRO Grants Amendment to Amendment
Motion 21 · Council Meeting, March 31, 2026
Summary
- Council was asked to approve four capital grants totalling $1,399,753 to fund life safety and livability upgrades in Single Room Occupancy (SRO) buildings, as an interim measure while longer-term replacement of the SRO housing stock is pursued.
- Three SRO Upgrading Grants totalling $899,753 were recommended for two non-profit organizations, funding improvements such as fire safety door systems, bathroom structural repairs, shared kitchen upgrades, elevator repairs, and fire escape improvements in aging SRO buildings.
- One SRO Cooling and Warming Retrofit Grant of $500,000 was recommended for the Downtown Eastside SRO Collaborative Society to install cooling and warming room retrofits in six privately-owned SRO buildings, as a climate adaptation measure.
- Most SROs are over 100 years old and require significant ongoing investment; the SRO Upgrading Grant Program has been running since 2014 as part of the Downtown Eastside Local Area Plan, and Council previously approved up to $2 million of the fund for eligible private SRO owners.
- The cooling and warming retrofit funding was approved as part of the 2026 Budget under Emerging Climate Adaptation Priorities, recognizing extreme heat as a serious risk for vulnerable SRO residents.
- Grants are subject to conditions including issuance of required building permits, execution of Housing Agreements registered on title, and submission of final reports with invoices and documentation.
Vote
Transcript
3 segments
so that it's clear we're not defunding those.
Yeah, thanks. Just reiterating from in response to Councillor Fry's earlier question, I was not proposing any changes to the streams. Otherwise I would have put that direction in there So I don't think that this changes what I proposed if it provides council with greater comfort great But I did not they I will note the original amendment did not propose any changes to the streams It simply switched the source of funding there were no changes proposed As further to the earlier question that was asked thank you Motive just wanting the clarity