Last month the Carnegie Community Action Project (CCPA) surveyed the hotels in the Downtown Eastside and found 486 privately owned empty housing units. They did not count the many empty government-owned that may be ready to open soon. CCPA has proposed that the city and BC Housing should get short term leases with private hotel owners to upgrade and manage these buildings as shelters for the homeless. Non-Partisan Association mayoral candidate Peter Ladner has rejected this proposal but Vision Vancouver candidate, Gregor Robertson expressed support for the CCAP proposal.