LOCAL DRUG REHAB CENTRES RAISE BUSINESS CONCERNS

Entrepreneurs Weigh The Need To Protect Their Customer Base Against
The Value Of social Housing And Addiction Recovery Initiatives

Changing neighbourhood demographics can harm a business as much as
shoddy customer service or technological change.

Business owners near 16th Avenue and Dunbar Street are therefore
concerned about their neighbourhood's evolution as nearby residents
ratchet up a lobbying campaign to head off any chance that city
councillors will approve a plan to build social housing for drug
addicts on city-owned land between 3588 and 3596 Dunbar Street.

"They're going to build a bunch of squats -- junky squats in various
neighbourhoods," said Dunbar area resident and Not In Anyone's Back
Yard spokeswoman Cheryl Savchenko.

"You'll end up with a bunch of mini-Downtown Eastsides in every
community. Is that something we want?"

No city councillor, however, is on record as supporting such a plan.
City planners don't expect council to make any decision on what kind
of social housing -- whether it be for seniors, physically challenged
people, drug addicts with mental illnesses or anybody else -- will be
built on the Dunbar site until at least September.

But Savchenko is convinced that councillors will OK for Dunbar what
they approved for Fraser Street and 39th Avenue in December 2004: a
home for recovering drug addicts with mental illnesses.

Peter Lee owns the Well Cafe across the street from the controversial
site. He recognizes that new housing of any sort could help his retail
coffee shop business, but he fears the problems that could be caused
by recovering drug addicts.

"There could be a rise in break-ins or vandalism or people shooting up
in the bathroom," he said.

Lee said a drug addiction recovery facility would be more effective if
it were located outside of an urban setting.

Meanwhile, construction continues on the contentious 30-unit Fraser
Street housing facility, which council approved even though thousands
of nearby residents signed petitions in 2004 opposing the residence
for drug addicts.

While nearby entrepreneurs such as Kedah House owner Chesiah Othman
remain worried about the impact residents of the future facility will
have on the area, others such as Bhaia Sweet Shop and Restaurant owner
Barbit Banwait have no concerns.

Various organizations and government agencies are involved in making
the Fraser Street facility a success.

Capital funding for the building will come from Vancouver Coastal
Health, B.C. Housing, Vancouver City, and Human Resources Development
Canada.

The Triage Emergency Services & Care Society will lease the land from
Vancouver and operate programs in the building, said Triage's
executive director, Mark Smith. He added that his organization, which
operates several homes for drug addicts with mental illnesses, wants
more long-term housing but not necessarily at Dunbar and 16th.

Smith said pushing for drug addict housing at that site would be
"problematic."

Smith's organization already operates one long-term care housing
facility in the Downtown Eastside. Windchimes is for recovering drug
addicts and people with mental health concerns and limited incomes.

An emergency shelter for people with mental illnesses and drug
addictions shares the six-floor 707 Powell Street building with
Windchimes. People in the emergency shelter are allowed to use drugs.

"It's not a direct problem for us," said Toby Barazzuol, who owns
Eclipse Awards International across the street from 707 Powell Street.

"Most people are understanding of the area we're in, although there
have literally been times when customers have had to step over a
junkie in the doorway."

Barazzuol said business owners in such areas as Dunbar and Fraser
streets should relax.

"To make triage centres a success and to help the people integrate
into society, you have to locate the centres outside the Downtown
Eastside," he said. "When you focus these social services in this area
it's not fair to the people because they're not interacting with the
quote-unquote normal rest of society."