My Rambling thoughts on Gentrification, Part 1

Gentrification
: the process of renewal and rebuilding, accompanying the influx of middle-class or affluent people into deteriorating areas that often displaces poor residents.
(reference)

Gentrification gets a pretty bad rap in the DTES of Vancouver. You have probably seen or heard about the various protests that were happening in the last few months against new restaurants in the DTES which attracted ample media attention. There have been hunger strikes, windows smashed, picketing, and ultimately, a lot of anger from many people, with many different perspectives and opinions.

Something I have been pondering and struggling with is whether or not gentrification is a good thing in the DTES. I also wrestle with how to make it less negative as I've seen a lot more negative impacts than positive. I have the privilege to work alongside people who live in the DTES as a home care nurse, and I have seen some of the effects of gentrification on them. While I have yet to talk about it directly with people living there, I hope to do so in the future as part of a blog series. I have discussed this topic over and over again with friends who work and live in the DTES, and generally speaking, they seem to be struggling in the same way. What is our role in all of this? Is there anything we can do? While part of my purpose in taking on this topic is me wanting to understand it all better and to hear about gentrification from all sides/parties involved, I also would love to see more discussions about this between everyone involved.

One of the most common negative impacts of gentrification is that it causes an increase in the cost of living, which makes basic living expenses less affordable and accessible to people. This is hard for those living on lower incomes and welfare, and eventually forces people to move/be displaced. Many small businesses aren't able to stay open as the rent keeps rising. I've noticed personally that housing costs in the Strathcona area have increased dramatically in the last year. It's certainly not as affordable as it once was, and I can't help but think it has to do with gentrification and the area becoming more "trendy".

Perhaps a positive result of gentrification is that the area often becomes a bit more "cleaned up"? Whatever that means though? Often it seems that making an area "cleaner" requires displacement or turning a blind eye to the pre-existing real needs and issues faced by the community. I'm thinking of how the city of Vancouver handled homelessness in preparation to the Olympics coming here in 2010. There's only so much "sweeping under the rug" we can do, since rugs can only hide so much.

To be honest, I'm finding it challenging to think of other positives that are in fact, "positive". Is creating more housing for middle/upper class people and boosting the economy through new business and condo developments really a positive thing if it displaces others from their homes and businesses? I would love to discuss gentrification with the people who are apart of the city planning and changes happening, or even restaurant and business owners that have established themselves down there.

Am I understanding the purpose of gentrification and the motives correctly? I want to understand. I want to see things from both sides, and figure out how these sides can come together. Awareness is a good place to start.

I remember being in one of the (sketchier) hotels in Chinatown, visiting a man discharged from the hospital too early after a major surgery. Things were not looking great as his incision was hugely at risk for infection. I'm trying to problem solve and  figure out how to meet his complex needs amidst a chaotic, pretty unclean environment. To complicate matters, he had no food and no clean clothes. Below his window, was a line-up of 30+ people standing in line for a sale at a pop-up trendy looking clothing store. He told me that people had been lining up for hours. It just seemed ironic. It was one of those moments where I had this profound realization of the messy collision of cultures, financial disparities, attitudes, lifestyles that are happening in the DTES and surrounding area. A collision that I'm fully apart of, whether I'm working as a nurse or enjoying Gastown on a day off.

The hardest part of this? I'm not sure this gentrification process is going away anytime soon. So where does that leave those of us struggling with it? Is there a way for restaurants and businesses and the people they attract (I'll refrain from using the word 'hipster' here...) to be better integrated into the already existing community rather than trying to 'change' it and wanting/forcing people to move? Can this collision come together in a beautiful way and even strengthen community in the DTES?

I have more questions than answers it seems, as it's quite messy and unclear.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of my rambling thoughts on Gentrification as I propose some ideas, more questions, and discuss a well-established business that is working hard at being a "good neighbour" in the DTES.

Guest Post: Community in the DTES

This guest post is written by my lovely friend Jenny who lives and works in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. I couldn't think of a better person to write about community in the DTES so I asked her to write whatever was on her heart and mind about it. PS: Jenny is also a very creative and talented artist. Creative and talented is an understatement. Take a look at her work here.

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When I first moved to the Downtown Eastside I had high expectations for how I was going to usher the Kingdom of God into the ‘hood. Maybe I expected to see fireworks, but it didn’t quite happen that way. I had a few lofty ideas about how the Kingdom would come in this place. But then I realized the God has been here all along, and I was to simply partner with Him in what was already happening.

I wouldn’t say that my saviour complex subsided as easily. 

My involvement in the neighbourhood started five years ago as a university student, eager to give to ‘the poor’. After graduating, I moved to an intentional Christian community. I learned that the most valuable thing I had to offer was my time, so I invested what I could with my neighbours. I mostly just wandered the streets, ate free food and engaged in conversation with every single person who talked to me. Note: this is a good way to become a fixture in any neighbourhood.  

After a month of community living, I got a job at a non-profit community centre in the area. I moved out of the house and into an apartment with a roommate. I lived with less people but my community expanded dramatically. At work I was seeing at least a hundred and fifty people a day. In the beginning I struggled with my various roles. At Servants I was a missionary. With my current job I am a Community Development Worker. Both positions have an implied power. I yearned to be just another person in the neighbourhood, joining in the everyday struggles and burdens that come with the territory, but also participating in the celebrations of small victories.

The other night a man approached me while I was chatting with a friend in front of the bottle depot, “You sure don’t look like you belong here.” He smirked. I think he was trying to scare me. “Oh, but I do. I’m from the ‘hood, just ask Bobby”, I nodded at the guy sitting in a wheelchair. “Yep, she’s from the ‘hood. But not in that way. She’s normal.” I cringed, another label I have to live with. Sometimes you have to accept things graciously and not put up a fight. 

I have since come to terms with my niche in the neighbourhood. It looks different in some situations but mostly I want to be consistent in how I act and who I am. I want to see God move in all areas of my life; especially the areas that overlap with my community.

This summer marks my third year of living in the DTES. My pursuit to invest in people has resulted in beautiful friendships, as well as raw experiences. The deeper we go into community, the messier it gets. I champion the need for vulnerability but when it comes down to it, I’m not always willing to participate. Once a friend told me that we had known each other long enough and she wanted to help me because I was always helping her. It threw me for a loop, I was so comfortable in my role as helper/provider that I didn’t know how to receive it from someone else. In Community and Growth, Jean Vanier writes that he is “struck by how sharing our weakness and difficulties is more nourishing to others than sharing our qualities and successes.” 

Two years ago a great man passed away. Ricky was the epitome of community in the Downtown Eastside. He was the friendly face that everyone, and I mean everyone, knew. I took part in his memorial march. Never have I felt so completely undone in public. The crazy thing was that I felt safe enough to weep. I stood with friends from church and the street and we grieved, together. It is a beautiful thing when we can breach barriers of social hierarchy and connect as brothers and sisters.

There is beauty in the midst of pain here. And sometimes, by God’s grace, the former outweighs the latter.