As the province prepares to close the Luugat single-room occupancy (SRO) building on Vancouver’s Granville Street by the end of June, it appears BC Housing doesn’t want the public to see inside the former hotel that taxpayers paid millions of dollars to convert to supportive housing during COVID.
“I’m happy to get out of there,” Luugat resident Stewart Holcombe said with a chuckle Friday.
Holcombe told Global News he and about a dozen other residents were moving to new homes on May 1, after they were told in September that the province would be finding them places equal to or better than 1176 Granville Street.
Holcombe said the bathroom roof in his fourth-floor unit at the SRO had caved in due to flooding from all the fires over the years, and his new accommodation in East Vancouver is way better.
“It’s three times the size, it’s cheaper and I have, like, a full fridge, full stove,” he told Global News ahead of the planned move. “It’s a complete bachelor suite instead of just a little box.”
The Luugat had approximately 80 residents in the fall of 2025.
As of April 27, 36 residents remained and all had been offered alternative housing, according to B.C.’s Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs.
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Although Holcombe disputes that claim and said some residents haven’t been offered any housing yet, the ministry said 18 residents have accepted offers and are waiting to move, while the remainder are “evaluating which housing option will work best for them”.
Another flood at Aura nightclub on the ground floor of the former Howard Johnson hotel on Fri. April 24 offered a glimpse of the living conditions in the supportive housing above.
With the help of a plumber, bar owner Alan Goodall said he tracked the water to an overflowing toilet in a first-floor unit, which was piled with two to four feet of garbage – and no bed.
Global News wanted to give the public a clearer look inside after the building’s nearly six-year tenure as an SRO.
“It was destroyed in less than a year and a half,” Holcombe said in an interview. “Pretty sad.”
BC Housing denied Global News’ request to film the Luugat’s common areas and unoccupied rooms, stating it has an obligation to respect the privacy of current residents.
“For that reason, we will not be able to accommodate any media tour of the building,” the Crown corporation said in an email.
In Oct. 2020, Global News was welcomed inside the building for a tour, just months after the province purchased the former hotel for $55 million to house people from encampments.
Our cameras photographed a safer supply dispensing machine, the overdose prevention site above the lobby, and various residents in the elevators and hallways.
Atira, the housing operator at the time, spoke about the supports available for residents, including health care support workers.
“It was beautiful in the beginning,” recalled Holcombe.
BC Housing said it was happy to be able to accommodate Global News previously. There also appeared to be no privacy issues with residents at that time.
More than five years later and following multiple fires, floods and at least $1.87 million spent on building repairs and remediation, it appears BC Housing does not want taxpayers to see what’s left of the Luugat.
“All the stuff in the hallways, pictures were taken off the wall, the TVs were all taken and sold – like, it was destroyed in less than a year,” Holcombe said, adding he believes the public should be able to see the conditions. “Absolutely, yeah, it’s been destroyed like, it’s absolutely decimated in there, like there’s flood damage on every floor, there (are) multiple rooms you can’t even go in, the roofs are caving in.”
When pressed on access and what had changed since 2020, BC Housing said people in the building are in the process of having to move out.
“This is a destabilizing and stressful moment in people’s lives and our focus is on supporting the move-out process for residents and the community,” the Crown corporation responded in an email.
Holcombe, who survived a bizarre incident which saw him stuck in the building’s ventilation shaft for more than 24 hours in August 2024, said he’s optimistic for the next chapter of housing.
“I’m quite excited,” he said on moving day.
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
