Community Help Needed: VIVO is Facing a Rent Affordability Crisis

Deadline: September 19, 2024

VIVO needs your help! We are facing an affordability crisis with a looming increase in our rent that threatens our future and stability. The City of Vancouver, our landlords, have increased our rent by 30% and added year-over-year increases that we have never faced before. When VIVO was first moved into our Kaslo location, we were told we would never face any rent increases as this was an underutilized space, and there was a mandate to house art organizations. When our first lease expired, they raised the rent by 30%. We maintained this percentage increase, but now they want to raise the rent by 10% yearly. VIVO’s friends at Arts Factory face the same affordability crises, and our success is theirs.

We still have time to advocate for more affordable rent so we don’t have to cut our programming or service levels. The Council will vote on the proposed increase, and we need to get VIVO’s story in front of each Councillor. Would you be willing to help VIVO? Would you provide words of support as we advocate to the Council? You can help us in one of two ways.

1. Please complete this short survey. VIVO will collect your answers and names and send them to each City Councillor.
2. Email each City Councillor and tell them how vital VIVO is to Vancouver. Below are some talking points to include:some text
   • Ask Council members to help VIVO maintain an affordable home so that VIVO can continue to support the community of media arts and arts-run centres in Vancouver.
   • Ask Council to waive the year-over-year increases and lower the 30% increase to 15%. This will help VIVO maintain all service levels and provide state-of-the-art equipment, affordable space, and accessible training.
   • Highlight how VIVO has served thousands of artists and producers in Vancouver with workshops and programming, equipment and space, and training on new media technology.
   • Speak about the heart of VIVO, the Crista Dahl Media Library & Archive, which holds 170,000 objects of Vancouver media art history from 1973 to today.
   • VIVO Celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year
   • VIVO’s team has made an immense effort to make VIVO a valuable asset to the community.
   • A personal story about your experience at VIVO.

It is essential that your letter is sent to all Councillors. We don’t want to show any partisan preference.

Please send your emails to:

Councillor Bligh - CLRbligh@vancouver.ca
‍Councillor Boyle - CLRboyle@vancouver.ca
‍Councillor Carr - CLRcarr@vancouver.ca
‍Councillor Dominato - CLRdominato@vancouver.ca
‍Councillor Fry - CLRfry@vancouver.ca
‍Councillor Kirby-Yung -  CLRkirby-yung@vancouver.ca
‍Councillor Klassen - CLRklassen@vancouver.ca
‍Councillor Meiszner - CLRmeiszner@vancouver.ca
‍Councillor Montague - CLRmontague@vancouver.ca
‍Councillor Zhou - CLRzhou@vancouver.ca