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Special Enterprise Program

Resources

Program components
Eligibility
Program supports
Documents
Related plans and strategies

The Special Enterprise Program (SEP), approved by Council in January 2021, is a five year pilot that aims to preserve and strengthen the cultural diversity, long-term viability, and economic opportunity of heritage businesses, social enterprises, and non-profit organizations in Chinatown and the Downtown Eastside.

The purpose of this program

Attract and prevent the displacement of heritage and community-serving businesses, cultural organizations, non-profit organizations, and social enterprises in the Downtown Eastside
Enhance the capacity of the small business sector to adapt to the current business environment and improve operations
Assist property owners (non-profit or for-profit with a social purpose) in activating their vacant spaces with businesses or other activities that align with permitted uses, current policies, and respond to community needs.

Key program outcomes

Reduced vacant storefronts
Increased community-serving economic activity
Secured affordable tenure to local community-serving organizations and businesses
Increased life-safety of local building stock

Preservation of cultural assets
Retention and long-term sustainment of heritage businesses
Increased access to employment for low-income residents
Increased access to social and cultural places & spaces for low-income residents

Program components

We are working with community partners and a staff technical team (led by the Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood Planning group) to implement the three strategic components with the assistance of community partners (“implementers”):

Components	Implementer	Description
Capacity building	Vancouver Chinatown Foundation	Provision of supports to build the resilience and capacity of small businesses, non-profits, and social enterprises in Chinatown.
Affordable spaces	Community Impact Real Estate Society	Activation of vacant and under-utilized spaces in the Downtown Eastside and Oppenheimer District to support small community-serving activities, cultural organizations, non-profits, and social enterprises.
Community-serving business in Chinese Benevolent Society buildings	Strathcona Business Improvement Association	Curation and tenanting of affordable spaces to enable community-serving retail in Chinese Society buildings.

Eligibility
Eligible businesses, non-profit, and for-profit groups that fall under the following categories:

Heritage businesses

Defined as “a business that is shaped by values from a shared past that is recognized and deemed important by the communities of people who frequent the business or the area”.

This category provides supports for tenants that contribute to the cultural heritage character of the area.

Community-serving and social enterprises

Non-profits or charities, community contribution companies, and cooperatives that focus on their community value, whether social, cultural or environmental, re-invest at least half of their profits back to that purpose.

This category includes businesses that provide affordable goods and services to low income residents.

Non-profit or for-profit properties with a social purpose

For-profit and non-profit organizations, societies, and cooperatives that own property and hold it for a social purpose:
- Properties and facilities owned and operated by mission-based organizations and investors for the purpose of community benefit, and to achieve blended value returns
- Provide a wide range of economic, social, cultural, and artistic services to residents, especially those considered low-income, and are critical to anchoring communities and stabilizing neighbourhoods
Program supports
Eligible organizations or businesses could qualify for the following supports.

Space renovations
- Tools, equipment, furnishings
- Space layouts
- Tenant improvements
- Tenant curations
- Tenant relocation
Business supports
- Marketing and promotion
- Succession planning
- Business practices and mentorships
- Business development
- Community stewardship

Related plans and strategies

Downtown Eastside Plan

The Downtown Eastside Plan provides a vision, policies, and strategies for the Downtown Eastside that focus on ways to improve the lives of low-income DTES residents and community members.

Community Economic Development Strategy

We are co-creating a Community Economic Development Strategy with Downtown Eastside communities to help meet the goals of the DTES Plan.

Contact a planner

Do you have questions about this program? Send us an email:

sep@vancouver.ca

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