Opened in 2019, the 52-unit housing development provides affordable, accessible living for people facing homelessness. In 2024, the Hogan’s Alley Society took over, with plans to reopen a community kitchen that will prepare culturally relevant food, reflecting the tastes and traditions of the African diaspora. Life skills programs like cooking and employment skills training are also being developed, along with an on-site garden that will feed the kitchen and provide work for residents. Safety and dignity are prioritized, too, with features like “brave buttons” in rooms for drug-use check-ins, reinforcing community well-being.
With Vancouver in the global spotlight in the lead-up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, now is the time to share the city’s cultural stories. Black history must be included — not as an aside, but as a vital part of Vancouver’s past and present.
Looking ahead, the Society’s work is focusing on a new social housing tower. “[Hogan’s Alley Society] is advancing its first major Black-led development at the corner of Main and Union Street,” says Blais, “a 12-storey mixed-use building with 109 rental homes at mixed income levels, lock-off suites designed for multi-generational living, 7,000 square feet of commercial space for Black-led businesses and organizations, and Afrocentric design features with a rooftop community space.”
For McDougall, whose family has close ties to the area, the work is personal. “I want future generations to know the struggle of growing up in Vancouver during the 50s and 60s… There were parts of Vancouver where, even if you had the means, you could not buy a house.” She hopes younger generations will “be able to comprehend the vast strength and resilience of the shoulders they stand on.”
For me, the work is personal too. Growing up as a mixed African woman in Vancouver, Black history often felt absent. Now, I look forward to seeing a thriving Black community return to the city, one where I can find belonging, reconnect with my African heritage, and share the history that helped shape Vancouver with my children and future generations.
