Downtown Eastside

The Downtown Eastside (DTES) is the oldest neighbourhood in Vancouver and generally believed to be the poorest neighbourhood in all of Canada.

Related Topics:
Vancouver - Poorest - Neighbourhood - Canada

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Downtown Eastside is a well-known problematic neighbourhood, with its disadvantaged and displaced populations, high occurrences of substance abuse, and a relatively high crime rate. However, the neighbourhood has a rich and colourful history and a strong fabric of community. In recent years there have been tensions between developers and members of the community relating to proposals for gentrification.

Related Topics:
Substance abuse - Crime rate - Gentrification

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Downtown Eastside is home to poor and displaced populations including First Nations people, runaways, prostitutes, petty criminals and drug addicts. The DTES's (and Vancouver's) drug problem has grown steadily worse over the last decade with the most common drugs being heroin, crack cocaine, and - increasingly - crystal methamphetamine. To deal with this the City has recently opened the country's first official safe injection site in this neighbourhood. The Downtown Eastside also has the unfortunate distinction, according to a recent article in The Georgia Straight newspaper, of having the highest rate of HIV infection in the Western world, largely attributable to the sharing of infected needles by intravenous drug users. The southwest corner of Main and Hastings Streets continues to be a problem as drug sellers and users frequently occupy the corner, despite recent efforts at increasing police presence at the location. A major police station is only half a block north of the intersection.

Related Topics:
Poor - First Nations - Prostitutes - Drug addicts - Heroin - Crack cocaine - Crystal methamphetamine - Safe injection site - The Georgia Straight - HIV

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The historic hotels of this area now rent out their rooms as "single room occupancy" (SROs) which provide housing for some of the most difficult people to house in Vancouver.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This material is direct quote. Should be rewritten to protect against copyvio

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

No other slum or ghetto in the country matches the squalor

Related Topics:
Slum - Ghetto

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

of this 10-block urban wasteland, with its rundown hotels and

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

pawn shops, stained and fractured sidewalks, gutters and

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

alleyways littered with garbage, used condoms and discarded

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

hypodermic needles. Downtown Eastside has another name

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

as well, used commonly by residents and the police who clean up

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

after them. They call the district "Low Track."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Low Track is Vancouver's Skid Row. Its cold heart is the

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

intersection of Main and Hastings , nicknamed "Pain and

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Wastings" . . . Low Track is the heart of British Columbia's rock-

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

bottom drug scene, estimates of its junkie population ranging from

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

5,000 to 10,000 at any given moment. The drugs of choice are heroin

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

and crack cocaine, supplied by motorcycle gangs or Asian cartels

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

that stake out choice blocks for themselves and defend their turf

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

with brute force. Most of Low Track's female addicts support their

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

habits via prostitution.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~