Photo gallery: Olympic Tent Village draws attention to housing issues in Vancouver

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      While the Vancouver Olympic Village houses international athletes in pricey condominium units overlooking False Creek, a very different kind of Olympic village has taken shape in the poverty-stricken Downtown Eastside.

      The Olympic Tent Village—established on February 15 by Streams of Justice, the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre Power of Women Group, and others—offers shelter in the form of tents and tarps thrown up on a Vanoc parking lot.

      Here's a selection of photographs depicting some of the people and messages of the Olympic Tent Village at 58 West Hastings Street.

      Video: Olympic Tent Village residents speak out on homelessness in Vancouver

      You can follow Stephen Hui on Twitter at twitter.com/stephenhui.

      Comments

      3 Comments

      Transitrider

      Feb 17, 2010 at 5:45pm

      Apparently, the tents were made in third world sweatshops...likely by children who make far less than welfare rates.

      Strategis

      Feb 19, 2010 at 12:21am

      They're not out there in the rain and cold for amusement, I guarantee you that. Lack of affordable housing is a crisis in Vancouver that the federal and provincial government have deliberately manufactured in order to exacerbate the growing rift between the rich and the poor, to drive home the mean spirited neoliberal / neoconservative "me first, and anything goes, you should be grateful for the crumbs we give you, so stop asking question, and just do what you're told" ideology.

      blahblah

      Feb 21, 2010 at 1:27pm

      Hey Strategis, not everything is a conspiracy. Homelessness, prostitution, and drug addiction have been around since the dawn of man. Only our ego's make us believe that we can "solve" these issues. Doesn't hurt to keep trying, but try to keep things in perspective. One suggestion - try to actually "do" something instead of waiting for the government to "solve" the problem. The lord helps those who help themselves.