population of Metro Vancouver. In the V6A postal area, whose boundaries are similar to the greater DTES area, 6,339 residents received some form of social assistance in 2013. Of these, 3,193 were considered disabled and 1,461 were considered "employable". The base welfare rate for single adults who are considered employable is $610 per month: $375 per month for shelter and $235 ($335 since July 2017) per month for all other expenses. Advocates for low-income DTES residents say this amount, which has not increased since 2007, is not enough to live on. In 1981, the base welfare rate was equivalent to $970 per month after adjustment for inflation. Some DTES residents supplement their incomes through the informal economy, through volunteer work which can yield stipends, or through criminal activity or sex work. A 2008 survey of SRO residents found that the average tenant income from all sources, including the informal economy, was $1,109 per month. In addition to issues with addiction and mental illness, DTES residents often have difficulty finding employment due to mental and physical disabilities and lack of education and skills. According to a 2009 survey of the 30 blocks in and around the DTES, 62% of the residents over the age of 15 were not considered participants in the labour force, compared to 33% in Vancouver as a whole. The DTES is often referred to as "Canada's poorest postal code", although this is not the case. Housing Both homelessness and substandard housing are major issues in the DTES, that compound the neighbourhood's problems with addiction and mental illness. In 2012, there were 846 homeless people in the greater DTES area, including 171 who were not in some form of shelter. The DTES homeless made up approximately half of the city's total homeless population, over a third of whom are Indigenous. Thousands of DTES residents live in SROs, which provide low-cost rooms without private kitchens or bathrooms, Although conditions in SROs vary considerably, they have become notorious for their squalor and chaos. Many are more than 100 years old and in extreme disrepair, with shortages of basic necessities such as heat and functioning plumbing. In 2007, it was reported that four out of five rooms had bed bugs, cockroaches, and fire code violations. Even at their best, the SROs have a lack of living space that results in tenants spending more time in the public spaces of the DTES,