When Dave Rouleau and Monika Benkovich accepted a position from Living Balance to manage 36 SRO (Single Room Occupancy) units in the York Rooms, they had no idea what to expect. “We thought we were totally going to help out all the people in the building,” Rouleau describes in an online interview, “we’d been to rallies on the DTES and looked at it as an opportunity to get on the inside and really tell the truth.” The building’s history in the Downtown Eastside was rife with petty crimes, impoverished living conditions, and a general state of disrepair.
Rouleau and Benkovich’s work involved cleaning up used syringes, evicting at-risk tenants, and dealing with anti-gentrification protests in response to John Cooper’s new upscale Latin-American restaurant below, Cuchillo. It appears that when they accepted the managerial position, they were expecting a certain type of resident with a specific kind of poverty. Those tenants who agreed with their ideology, or who worked with them against opponents of the York, they befriended. “His name is Roger. We are still friends, I talk to him regularly,” Rouleau posted on Facebook, regarding of one of the York Room tenants he bought lunch for, keeping Roger from attending a press conference about his impending eviction. “I was like, look at this fucking crazy press conference, lets get the fuck out of here,” Rouleau replied when questioned.
But when tenants failed to abide Rouleau and Benkovich’s expectations, improve their lot, uphold the law, or follow Living Balance’s new policies, they were gone – evicted without concern for their history, health, or well-being. “We were shocked to find that one of the biggest drug dealers in the building was also on disability,” Rouleau states, attempting to justify an eviction. “She was elderly and letting in dangerous people to the building, and then crying out to protesters when we evicted her.”
The primary result of Living Balance’s ownership of the building, and Rouleau and Benkovich’s management of the building, was that the rents of all their suites skyrocketed at an extraordinary rate. Suites that would previously rent for $375-425 received a paint job, a mini fridge, and new cabinets, and were resold for between $550-700 a month. The turnover rates were high. One former tenant, Eric, describes multiple instances where tenants vacated after staying for only a single month.
After six months of this work, during which Rouleau and Benkovich were accused of assault against community members, driving up rental rates, harassing at-risk tenants, and “renovicting” the community, Rouleau and Benkovich called it quits. “Honestly – the job just got to us. It was hectic. We’re into other things, media, art, boarding. The job was eating us up,” Rouleau says of their predicament. However, first, they recorded their last two weeks as managers on film, to support of their belief that the tenants were being helped.
They took footage of the tenants and their belongings, through personal crises and enforced transformations. They coerced their tenants and other street people with small favours. Eric was given $20 and a six pack, for example, to sign a waiver of rights to allow film documentation of himself buying heroin. Other tenants were likewise filmed binning, being transferred to shelters, or having a mental breakdown.
And then they posted the screenshots and a description of the documentary to Kickstarter. The Kickstarter campaign was launched to fund an unrelated venture, $7,700 for them to tour behind Gnarcore, their online skate zine. They asked for donations of $50 and up just to watch a trailer featuring these tenants. Many obliged, but only 26 of the 86 financial backers pledged enough to watch the trailer.
“Our intention with the building from day one was to educate people like ourselves – young artists, students etc. to the world of the DTES,” their Kickstarter states, positioning them in a privileged status as educators, “We treated each tenant as a special individual case.” Their message was clear. They were outsiders who came in to a community of low income people and took control of their housing, in order to educate other outsiders. They were going to display their tenants’ most personal and vulnerable moments on film, for the supposed benefit of an external audience
Their numerous backers either missed or agreed with the paternalistic message of their campaign’s write up, and as of March 17, 2014 Gnarcore’s tour was successfully funded. To date, nothing written about their tour indicates any kind of support for low-income people, or any intention of giving back to their community. Additionally, various tenants have claimed that Rouleau and Benkovich were dismissed, or urged to quit, by Living Balance after being accused of assaulting community organizers and tenants.
The whole series of events is a manifestation of a larger problem. Rouleau and Benkovich were mere employees informed by outsider opinions and the policies of an uncaring housing organization looking to post the maximum possible profit per square footage. They even “went behind their employers back,” according to Rouleau, to keep some of their tenants in the building, suggesting that Living Balance intended to have all their previous tenants removed in order to charge higher rents.
It could be that Rouleau and Benkovich held an idealized, fictional version of poverty when they began their short employment at the York Rooms. When confronted with the blunt reality that people in the Downtown Eastside are not homogenous and live completely autonomous lives, they were also confronted with a choice: undertake the challenging work of building solidarity with diverse tenants, or escape into the realm of fantasy. It is unfortunate that they chose to film the finale of their disturbing adventure, and further exploit the tenants they evicted by charging spectators $50 to see a clip.

Mark Bignell
April 16, 2014 at 11:28 am
They come across as ignorant and very exploitive. Their ideas lacked empathy and took unfair advantage of people. They didn’t have any real grasp of the neighbourhood, its residents or the repercussions of their actions. They had vested interests which didn’t benefit the community. That’s the main problem with gentrification in the DTES.
Zack C
April 16, 2014 at 1:26 pm
Really horrible behaviour. I don’t care how ignorant you are, that’s wrong.
Sarahxyz
April 16, 2014 at 3:15 pm
I see that you can “report” projects to kickstarter. Would it be worth reporting their project to kickstarter? Certainly if the people signed releases it was under coercion and wouldn’t meet the standards of journalistic practices. Plus, since they did this work while employed by Living Balance, then it could be argued that the film belongs to Living Balance.
Mathieu Y
April 16, 2014 at 5:44 pm
I did actually report the project to Kickstarter, before it was funded. No reply though
Dylan
April 16, 2014 at 6:18 pm
Make me sick
Sarahxyz
April 16, 2014 at 6:25 pm
Well, reporting now may not make a difference but if more people report then all the better. I thought kickstarter had a vetting process – which obviously failed. Could the community make an official request to kickstarter that projects using the DTES as their focus or as its “cultural capital” should be required to meet an ethical threshold that is respectful and supported by the community. On a personal note – screw hipsters.
Bigriggity
April 16, 2014 at 7:29 pm
I studied media in post-secondary, and when the class was finally given access to the video cameras, I remember my prof telling us all “Now none of you take these and run down to the Downtown Eastside and try to make an ‘expose’ on poverty, ok?” I remember laughing pretty hard, like who would do something as callous as that? But enviably, one fucking student -every- semester would show up to class with some poverty porn… ugh, so in short: these kids are utterly unoriginal, uninteresting, and exploitative as fuck. If only this wasn’t such a common impulse amongst middle-class kids with cameras, huh?
larkinschmiedl
April 17, 2014 at 12:22 am
It would be great if someone reported the project – this is unethical and deeply disturbing.
larkinschmiedl
April 17, 2014 at 12:25 am
Gross. Makes me think back to my time in journalism school and some of the things that were considered fair game… Ugh.
Andy aka Angie
April 17, 2014 at 1:09 pm
I can say as a resident of the DTES, I’m appalled by these two, they have no moral or ethical ground to stand on, what the are calling a Documentary, is nothing but Trash, they hand no business putting their so call Documentary together in the first place!, they Don’t know SQUAT about the DTES or It’s History, no clue as to all the good work that goes on down here.
As a resident of the DTES I plan to put out a Documentary about the DTES, to show people what the Mainstream Does not report on, to set the record straight, to give people an In-depth, look into the Problems and challenges we face, I want people to know abut the “Low Income” arts and music scene, the lives that have been transformed by, the many good social agencies, that operate here, the Gentrification, the Renovictions!
“Real Life In The Downtown Eastside”
http://www.gofundme.com/7sda3k
Andy aka Angie
April 17, 2014 at 1:14 pm
Real Life In The Downtown Eastside, is a Documentary by the people and about the people and the sound track will feature, local talent from the DTES.
Susan MacVittie
April 17, 2014 at 2:11 pm
When I read this article I couldn’t believe two young people would be so ignorant and then I reached the part about crowd funding under the guise of an online magazine. How exploitative! I was thinking to report them to Kickstarter too – but I think you can fund your own cross-country trip across Canada if you want to. Un-fucking-believable. As an activist this angers me.
Drake
April 17, 2014 at 2:51 pm
Ahh, spoiled kids with an oddly romanticized view of poverty. Classic Vancouver. This is so sad, what despicable, heartless people they are. I buy that they meant well in the beginning, but their actions are completely inexcusable. It’s so sad they would treat people who have NOTHING like this.
https://www.facebook.com/rouleaucreative?ref=br_rs
https://www.facebook.com/monika.benkovich.7?fref=ts
Brian leddy
April 17, 2014 at 7:23 pm
Fuck these hipster heads! I had friends in the York and you fucks fucked them! Now we know who,you are but worse yet what your about! You think your so cool and hip! I will show you cool! I AM SO COLD I PISS ICE!
Andy aka Angie
April 18, 2014 at 12:40 am
http://rabble.ca/podcasts/shows/redeye/2013/09/anti-gentrification-activists-attacked
Mathieu Y
April 18, 2014 at 3:20 am
I’m stoked that you want to do this! But I would caution that perhaps you want to frame who’s story it is that you’re sharing, how you’re planning to do that, and what experience you draw from. I was eager to donate to your gofundme account until I realized that I wasn’t sure what I was contributing towards.
Either way, I hope for the best for your project and dream!
Andy aka Angie
April 18, 2014 at 8:29 am
Thanks for your words Mathieu!, I’m telling our story, the story of the people who live here, told by the people who live and breath in the DTES, there are many good things, going on here, that people need to know about, people tend to paint a bad picture about the neighbourhood, based on what the “Mainstream Media” reports.
Myself I have a back ground in Audio Engineering and Recorded Music Production, I’m a freelance tech for the Carnegie Centre and Oppenheimer Park, I’m also a Volunteer at the park and co run the open mic, Saturday afternoons in the park.
Lara Cardone
April 18, 2014 at 11:49 am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9W5FA6XRKF0 piece of shit privledged hipsters exploiting poverty under guise of social awareness. This is disgusting. These people are the scum of the earth.
jenny
April 18, 2014 at 1:52 pm
they posted their phone number here:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/185388045/the-drive-to-connect-canada/posts/798784
Watson
April 23, 2014 at 12:18 pm
Coercion: the practice of persuading someone to do something by using force or threats.
They bribed the tenants; they did not coerce them. This is not journalism anyway so the only ethical standards are their own.
They own the film not Living Balance. Living Balance paid them to be managers of the building, not make a film, thus the rights are inherently theirs.
Andy aka Angie
April 23, 2014 at 10:44 pm
If they used Security Camera Footage, that footage would belong to Living Balance!
Watson
April 24, 2014 at 5:58 pm
Not necessarily, security footage is not an inherently creative form so artistic copyright would not apply. As long as a profit is not being made the creators of the video/documentary could claim it as an exposé and so that footage could be considered public domain. Living Balance could only sue for misrepresentation or breach of contract (if their contract stipulates anything that would prevent them from making said video).
freyja
April 28, 2014 at 1:20 pm
this breaks my heart.
http://gnarcoredotcom.tumblr.com/
”Another Gnarcore Media Kickstarter update! Check out never before scene video grabs from our upcoming DTES documentary that chronicles our last two weeks managing a drug infested apartment building.
8 more days to go! Your pledging, sharing and support are much appreciate.”
Mathieu Pierre Youdan
June 30, 2014 at 5:12 pm
Wow! As I suspected, they did not even manage to raise their entire funding, but instead “cheated” kickstarter and had the funding completed by a family member. Gross!
“We ended up raising approximately $6000 and borrowed the rest from a family member which we returned when the project was funded.”
-https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/185388045/the-drive-to-connect-canada/posts
Niko
July 10, 2014 at 7:07 pm
This is… infuriating beyond words.