ACTIVATE DTES COMMERCIAL RENT AFFORDABILITY CASE STUDIES

Read the report: Community-Serving Commercial Rental Affordability Case Studies (PDF)

Activate DTES is composed of Community Impact Real Estate Society, Exchange Inner City and Hessey Consulting + Architecture and is funded by the City of Vancouver Special Enterprise Program (SEP). Activate DTES aims to support community-serving organizations in achieving secure tenure in vacant storefronts in the Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES).

For community-serving organizations, Vancouver’s lack of affordable commercial space poses a significant challenge. Often these organizations lack the revenue necessary to pay market-based rent. Considerations like community economic development, meeting the needs of local community members, and equity development are not significant factors when filling market-based commercial vacancies.

The Dignity and Agency report highlights critical gaps in everyday goods and services across the Hastings Corridor—based on direct input from residents, businesses, and community organizations. Key needs include access to nutritious food, social spaces, health and wellness services, household essentials, clothing, and employment opportunities, with 59% of respondents identifying food access as the most urgent priority. These findings directly inform the Activate DTES program, helping ensure that new tenancies and commercial activations align with real, community-defined needs while supporting long-term neighbourhood resilience.

This report explores four different models of creating commercial rental affordability (CRA) for community-serving organizations. The four models and their illustrative case studies are:

● Affordable Workspace Programme (Islington, UK)

● Cultural Space Agency (Seattle, USA)

● Meanwhile Space CIC (London, UK)

● Anchorage Community Land Trust (Anchorage, USA)

This report was authored by Maya Korbynn for Activate DTES.