Critics say modular homes for B.C.’s unhoused can be a problem

published on December 15, 2022 by Katie DeRosa in Vancouver Sun

A day after Premier David Eby announced construction of 90 modular units to help address the housing crisis in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, critics said they worry such projects have become the de facto housing solution, as permanent developments await funding.

Municipal politicians in Nanaimo and Maple Ridge say modular housing in their communities did not have the promised wraparound supports, which led to a spike in crime and social disorder to the surrounding neighbourhoods.

And one UBC researcher worries modular homes could do more harm than good, putting people in an uncertain environment and worsening health outcomes.

Danya Fast, a research scientist at the B.C. Centre on Substance Use, said while she supports creating more housing for people as quickly as possible, modular housing complexes can “actually deepen a sense of uncertainty in young people’s lives, especially when they’re temporary.”…