There are 2.5 million housing stories in Metro Vancouver. And, like other residents, I have noticed many trends contributing to the housing crunch have occurred within 50 metres of my home.
Other international students near us rent in basement suites. But the student who took his life belonged to a satellite family; his parents are from Asia and did not live in Vancouver. When I happened to meet his mother and father and offer my condolences, they said he had an artistic temperament and often struggled with depression. He was among many international students whom I have reported are committing suicide, with the B.C. Coroner’s Service showing little interest.
In the meantime, though, here are six globally-shaped movements happening in my local community, in addition to international students, that are affecting housing: Last week Zoocasa, a real estate website, said only the top 2.5 per cent of local wage-earning households can afford to buy a detached home in Vancouver, based on the city’s benchmark price of $1.44 million.