This idea was not a recommendation by city staff to council, but rather it came from a city council directive approved in October 2020, when an amendment by COPE councillor Jean Swanson and seconded by Mayor Kennedy Stewart specifically calling for the use of the Jericho Hostel and 2400 Kingsway Motel as homeless shelters was approved.
It has since been determined that the city-owned Jericho Hostel, originally part of the barracks of the Royal Canadian Air Force’s Jericho Beach Station, is not suitable as a shelter. Over the past few decades, the property has been leased by Hostelling International.
HI Vancouver Jericho Beach at 1515 Discovery Street, Vancouver. (Google Maps)