In 2011, the City of Vancouver made a lofty promise to its citizens.

It promised “a home for everyone”. That included everything from shelters to social housing, rentals, and affordable homeownership.

By 2021, the city would have produced 20,000 “market ownership units” as a measure of success of its 10-year housing strategy.

A staff report considered by council when it approved the strategy even had an initial three-year target of 6,675 “condos and affordable home ownership”.

In June last year, councillor Melissa De Genova wondered whatever happened to helping residents buy a home.

“I haven’t seen any information or report as to how they would like to proceed on homeownership,” De Genova told the Georgia Straight in a phone interview at that time.

Several days later, council unanimously approved her motion directing staff to explore the establishment of a program for affordable homeownership in the city.

De Genova’s motion also told staff to identify measures, including changes to the Vancouver Charter, to implement such a program.

Almost a year later, the first-term councillor is still wondering what happened to the promise.

While the city has made good progress in enabling the development of rental homes, the Non-Partisan Association politician said that people wanting to buy homes have been left behind.

“Rental housing is very important, but so is affordable homeownership, and we’re seeing people pushed out of Vancouver,” De Genova told the Straight in a new phone interview Thursday (March 31). “They’re saying goodbye to Vancouver because they cannot afford to own a home here. That could be a condominium. That could be a row home. I’m not talking about single family residential. I’m talking about the opportunity just to get their foot in the door of the market.”

Turning to the ruling party of Mayor Gregor Robertson, the opposition councillor said: “I believe that rental is just as important. But right now it seems that the City of Vancouver and Vision Vancouver have put all of their eggs in one basket, and that is rental housing.”

De Genova has submitted a motion on notice in the council agenda Tuesday (April 5), which seeks to direct staff to “initiate, without delay, all necessary processes, provincial or otherwise, that may be required to make changes to the Vancouver Charter” in support of an affordable homeownership program.