SROs in the Crosshairs of Climate Change: Vancouver's Hidden Heroes The 2021 heat dome crisis that ravaged British Columbia left an indelible mark on the province, particularly on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside (DTES).
The extreme temperatures claimed 619 lives, with a disproportionate number of those deaths occurring in social housing, including Single Room Occupancy (SRO) buildings.
Amidst the devastation, tenants from these very buildings began to take matters into their own hands. SROs are not designed for comfort, let alone survival during heat waves.