Addressing Homelessness
Holistic and Compassionate Solutions
Pooneh has experienced poverty and knows that homelessness is one of Vancouver’s most pressing challenges. She understands that it’s not just a result of high housing costs, but also a result of untreated mental health issues and an addiction crisis. She believes that restricting urban camping while expanding critical services and providing the formerly homeless the tools they need to rebuild their lives will lead to successful outcomes for all of us.
Vancouver deserves solutions that protect both public safety and human dignity. Pooneh will use her over three decades of experience in creating transitional housing programs, treatment, rehabilitation, and skills training to:
- Expand transitional housing
- Expand Drug Recovery and Mental Health services
- Successfully implement Job Training Programs
Shared Prosperity
Building a Brighter Future for All
Pooneh understands that working families are struggling with rising housing costs, healthcare expenses, and everyday necessities. She believes that the city can do its part to keep costs low by ensuring that public funds are used efficiently, transparently, and for the benefit of the entire community, and by championing policies that allow us to grow and thrive together.
As a business owner, she’s seen firsthand how policy can help—or hinder— our shared prosperity. She believes Vancouver should be a city that empowers its people to build and create a strong thriving economy that works for all of us.
On City Council, Pooneh will:
- Support responsible policies that drive down costs for residents.
- Invest in living-wage job creation and local workforce development
- Create an environment for small businesses to thrive in Vancouver
Community Safety and Justice
Turning Pain to Purpose
Fighting for victims and the unheard isn’t just a slogan for Pooneh. In 1989, her mother was murdered and her father was wrongfully convicted. As a college student Pooneh became her younger brother’s guardian. For more than 30 years, she worked to ensure her mother’s true killer was held accountable.
This lifelong battle made Pooneh a formidable advocate for victims’ rights, criminal justice reform, and families failed by the system. She also witnessed how under-resourced investigations and systemic breakdowns robbed people of justice and caused victims to feel unheard.
Pooneh believes public safety is a shared responsibility—one that begins with ensuring law enforcement has the training and support needed to serve the community effectively, compassionately, and with accountability.
On City Council, Pooneh will:
- Make our neighborhoods safer by improving lighting, walkability and community spaces
- Will listen to residents about neighborhood safety concerns and work with all stakeholders to improve livability.
- Fight for more funding for emergency services in order to reduce wait times for emergencies.
Our Climate
Shoreline Management and Habitat Protection
The City of Vancouver currently relies on environmental consultants to determine whether an area is exempt from shoreline management rules. This practice is deeply concerning because consultants can issue conflicting or even misleading reports, sometimes favoring developers over the long-term health of our environment.
When questions arise, the city should investigate using city or state ecologists to make a formal determination in order to ensure consistent protections for our shoreline and critical habitats. Decisions that affect our environment must be based on sound science and the public interest, not on who is hired to write a report. Vancouver needs stronger oversight, clearer standards, and more transparency to ensure shoreline protections are enforced fairly and consistently, because the cost of getting it wrong will be felt by our wildlife, our water quality, and future generations.
A New Kind of Leadership
Pooneh is committed to working hard every single day for the people of Vancouver. She believes that great solutions come from listening to every voice in the community.
“When we work together, we can create real, lasting change that reflects our shared values and goals.” She’s ready to fight for a safer, stronger, cleaner Vancouver—and for the people who call it home.
Let’s build a better Vancouver—together.
