VANCOUVER - Anti-poverty groups want to see immediate action on government promises to build more social housing before the 2010 Winter Olympics.

David Eby of the PIVOT legal society said Sunday pressure needs to be put on the Vancouver Olympic Committee and the three levels of government to begin development of the housing units that were promised.

"I think the main challenge that we face is the deadline here and that deadline is 2010," he said. "The reality is that the government moves fairly slowly on this kind of thing so if they want to build social housing . . . they really need to do it now."

The Inner-City Inclusive Housing Table report was released last month. It included 25 recommendations on housing the homeless, most of which were supported by VANOC, the three levels of government and housing experts. The report was also endorsed by 82 social organizations, including PIVOT, the Downtown Residents Association and Vancouver Rape Relief and Women's Shelter.

However, members of some of the organizations say they're frustrated nothing has been done since the recommendations were drafted. Eby pointed out that VANOC hasn't even posted the report on its website, and the recommendations are buried on the City of Vancouver site.

The groups say more dialogue is needed between them, VANOC and the government and that a timeline has to be established.

The groups staged a Sunday news conference at the Carnegie Community Centre at the epicentre of the city's notorious Downtown Eastside. It was attended by about 100 community members and residents of the neighbourhood.

The representatives of the social groups acknowledged that one month isn't a long time when it comes to a government timeline, but said that people are suffering with every day that passes.

Anti-poverty activist Jean Swanson said it takes two to three years to build a housing unit or a building.

"If the government is going to build the 3,200 units of housing in this report, it's got to start digging by October at the absolute latest," she said. "There is no time to mess around."

A representative from VANOC said the housing issue is one for government to handle.

"Given that social housing policy is the direct responsibility of governments, we respectfully defer comment to them as the appropriate authorities," said spokesman Chris Brumwell in an e-mail.

A provincial government spokesman said the recommendations have been received and are being examined. He said they would likely be moved on by late spring or early summer.

Calls to Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan were not returned.

Brent Granby of the West End Residents Association said if the recommendations continue to be ignored, the community will have to start taking its own action.

"Look what France did with their own homeless problem, they said 'If government doesn't take action then we as a community will,' " he said. "I think in October that's something that we'll have to consider."

Earlier this month, an NDP MLA sent a letter to the United Nations asking it monitor the situation.

Jenny Kwan asked the UN's high commissioner for human rights, Louise Arbour, to act as watchdog over the city's poor, since the local government wasn't taking any action.

In her letter, Kwan wrote that the closure of single-room occupancy hotels and the loss of hundreds of rooms is an international human rights issue.