British ColumbiaResidents of a supportive housing complex in downtown Vancouver will be forced from their homes by June — just as the FIFA World Cup arrives in the city. Province says it is working with stakeholders to find alternate housing for residents of the LuugatCourtney Dickson · CBC News · Posted: Nov 12, 2025 8:43 PM EST | Last Updated: 3 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 5 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.The Luugat, pictured on Nov. 12, 2025, will be closed by June 2026. (Nav Rahi/CBC)Residents of a supportive housing complex in downtown Vancouver will be forced from their homes by June — just as the FIFA World Cup arrives in the city. The Luugat opened as an SRO — single room occupancy — in 2020 on the Granville strip. It was converted from an old hotel, and contains 110 units. Initially operated by another service provider, the Community Builders Group took over management of the Luugat in September, 2025. Executive director Julie Roberts said the notice of the closure, signed by B.C. Housing and posted on the doors of the building last week, came as a “surprise” to the organization.“We were hoping for more time,” she said. “It takes time to get used to a building and its residents and provide those individualized supports that people need.“We think with enough time, we could have been a good neighbour on Granville Street. However, with this news, we need to pivot to support our residents.”Now, she said, the pressure is on to make sure the building’s tenants have a new home to go to come June. That includes people like Kevin Doig. Kevin Doig is one of dozens of people who will be forced to leave their home at the Luugat by June. (Nav Rahi/CBC)“We had a couple people in tears here because this has been their home for five years,” he said. “It’s a sad situation for a lot of the people that are older here because people that need this accommodation, this is their home.”On the other hand, resident Lisa Branham, who has lived at the Luugat since 2020, is looking forward to living elsewhere.Meanwhile Luugat resident Lisa Branham is looking forward to the change. (Nav Rahi/CBC)“I can’t wait to move,” she said. “I think it’s about time that [the SROs on the Granville strip] got closed down, because they’re not in working order, they’re not suitable for living.”Closure ‘long overdue’: hospitality associationBusinesses in the area are “thrilled” by the closure, the Vancouver Hospitality Association said.“It’s long overdue,” spokesperson Laura Ballance said. She said having an SRO in the heart of what is supposed to be an entertainment district has been “absolutely devastating.”“It’s been catastrophic,” she said.LISTEN | Vancouver Hospitality Association “thrilled” by SRO closure:The Early Edition6:04SRO on Granville Street to close ahead of World CupVancouver Hospitality Association spokesperson Laura Ballance talks about the closure of the Luugat SRO and its impact on the Granville strip.In a statement emailed to CBC News, Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said the closure of the Luugat is a “step forward” for the Granville Entertainment District — a once bustling street in the downtown core that, in recent years, has seen extreme poverty and open drug use. “Supportive housing does not belong in the Granville Entertainment District,” Sim said.He said the city has been calling for the closure of three SROs in the area, including the Luugat, for two and a half years. Now, he added, the city will continue to push for the closure of St. Helen’s Hotel and the Granville Villa, the latter of which is also operated by Community Builders Group. Roberts said that the three SROs, combined, contain a total of about 300 homes. “Three-hundred homes in Vancouver will be hard to find,” she said. “We hope that there are plans right now to be building new housing or finding housing that will be suitable for the 300 people that are on Granville.”Housing Minister Christine Boyle said the creation of more supportive housing in all B.C. communities is a priority for the province. “We can’t just be scrambling to address crises. We need to be thinking bigger picture, and that’s why we’re making historic investments. That’s why it continues to be a priority to work with local governments to deliver badly needed supportive housing.”Boyle said the province is working with B.C. Housing and Community Builders Group to ensure similar, adequate housing is found for the residents of the Luugat.World Cup As the Luugat closes, the World Cup, arguably the biggest sporting event in the world, will arrive in Vancouver. During Expo 86, SROs were emptied, renovated and turned into hotels for tourists, forcing more than 1,000 people from their homes. WATCH | How will World Cup impact unhoused residents of Vancouver?:Concerns over FIFA World Cup’s impact on unhoused Vancouver residentsAfter the City of Vancouver’s hosting contract with FIFA was revealed last month, much attention was paid to clauses that mandated “beautification” and a controlled zone around B.C. Place Stadium, which could mean that people experiencing homelessness may be displaced. While the City of Vancouver says it has no plans to relocate unhoused people, the executive director of First United, Amanda Burrows, said that previous large events like Expo 86 and the 2010 Olympics did end up displacing unhoused people.Similarly, homeless people were moved out of some areas when the Winter Olympics came to town in 2010. Boyle was working at a shelter in the Downtown Eastside when it happened. “I also saw up close, the impacts of the Olympics on some of our most vulnerable residents in the city, and I want to make sure that we’re doing this well,” she said. When the City of Vancouver’s hosting contract with FIFA was revealed in July 2025, it included clauses that mandated “beautification.” At the time, the City of Vancouver said it had no plans to relocate unhoused people due to FIFA World Cup requirements, and would minimize disruption to services and shelters.ABOUT THE AUTHORCourtney Dickson is an award-winning journalist with CBC News based in Vancouver, B.C.With files from Pinki Wong, Stephen Quinn and CBC Radio
Social housing complex on Vancouvers Granville Street to close by June 2026
