VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Ten years after the Woodward’s building  was occupied by squatters, hundreds took to the streets of the Downtown Eastside.

Three hundred and fifty people chanted and waved signs in the heart of the neighbourhood, demanding action for the homeless.

The neighbourhood is in transition, and homelessness continues to be a preoccupation for civic leaders.

But the protesters say there has been little improvement since that famous squat ten years ago.

“We need more social housing for the people in the Downtown Eastside. Stop this gentrification. Stop this poor bashing. We are all in this community and we care about this community,” says one woman.

“This is my neighbourhood. Gentrification is not good. There’s no housing for women who need it. There’s too much violence against women and the poor here,” says another.

Others say the protest was a way to express their frustration at the lack of affordable housing in general in Vancouver.

Native elders led the march. First Nations are particularly hard hit by homelessness.