July 1974 — This woman was living in what is called in Vancouver a “single occupancy room”. It’s one room containing a sink, a hot plate and a bed, the bathroom was down the hall. With three people in the room it was crowded. One floor below was a pub. I’ve lost the notes to go with this story but I remember the reporter being appalled a single woman her age had to live in these conditions and I remember the woman being grateful she finally had something this good. The photograph was taken to go with a story about the Downtown Eastside Residents Association renovating these rooms to make them more suitable for seniors. Housing the poor has always been a problem in Vancouver and is still the subject of newspaper stories.
Grateful was posted April 11, 2009
