Day 3 - Wednesday, November 20

As one of the largest affordable housing providers in the region, Metro Vancouver Housing (MVH) recognizes both the need and opportunity to increase and renew our supply of affordable rental housing. MVH completed the first phase of redevelopment at Heather Place in summer 2020 with 67 new units. A second phase of the redevelopment, Building B is now under construction. This bus tour will highlight MVH's approach to sustainable, accessible, and livable housing design, and tenant programs.

Presented By:

Asia McLean, BC Society of Transition Houses

Since 2008, BC Society of Transition Houses has worked alongside anti-violence programs to address barriers to support for survivors who use substances and/or experience varying levels of mental wellness. Today, we deliver the Reducing Barriers Training several times a year across BC, helping Transition Housing programs accommodate survivors with complex support needs and offer relational, person-centred and trauma-informed services. In this session, we will explore the connections between violence, substance use and mental wellness and share practical strategies for addressing barriers in communal living settings.

Presented By:
Amal Ishaque, Cambium Arts & Education

Hear from panelists with lived experiences of gendered racism and housing insecurity, and discuss the importance of using art as a catalyst for shifting mainstream narratives about these issues. Panelists including Amal Ishaque, Artist in Residence with the Changing the Conversation Project, and BC Poverty Reduction Coalition peer leaders Monica Deng and Margaret Wanyoike, will also speak about the community engaged process that led to the creation and public exhibition of visual art pieces and share multi-lingual poetry they wrote (Swahili, Arabic, English) about living at these intersections. An interactive discussion collectively identifying possible solutions and next steps will follow.

Presented By:
Amal Ishaque, Cambium Arts & Education

BC has the most supportive environment in Canada for non-profits seeking to develop or acquire housing assets, but nearly every partner or funding source comes with strings attached. To secure the zoning, permitting, and funding necessary to attain its objectives, the non-profit developer must sort through a tangle of regulations, expectations and conflicts. This session will explore how some experienced project managers have navigated these issues, and what they have learned along the way.

Presented By:
Mike Walker, Miller Thomson Lawyers

Presented By:
Leanna Milburn, Sacred Waters Developments
Graham Wood, Sacred Waters Developments
Leanna Grimes, Sacred Waters Developments

Building an effective, committed, fun team at a non-profit can be difficult in this industry, which faces burnout and turnover. Learn from Whole Way House's successes over the decade in the Downtown Eastside as we discuss the methods we use to build and maintain a healthy staff culture. We will share context about WWH, and cover topics such as retaining, recruiting, and releasing staff. We will look at these issues from general theoretical perspectives and also provide practical tools that you can implement in your own organizations right away.

Presented By:
Sonora Szoczei, Whole Way House Society

Presented By:
Lauren Simpson, UNITI
Doug Tennant, UNITI

This facilitated roundtable workshop session will engage participants in rethinking two key concepts guiding Canada’s housing policymaking: core housing need and housing vulnerability. Together, we'll work to identify more holistic indicators that capture Canadians’ need for adequate housing. Core housing need assesses Canadians’ housing needs regarding affordability, crowding, and state of repair. Housing vulnerability is employed to identify vulnerable groups for targeted policy interventions. Policies grounded in these principles impose colonial and neoliberal values of home, attribute housing precarity to individual deficiencies instead of systematic failures and underestimate Canadians’ need for housing that is secure, accessible and culturally adequate.

Presented By:
Adam James, Ryder Architecture
Priyanka Roy, Tsawwassen First Nation
Yushu Zhu, Simon Fraser University
Claire Dreyfuss, Simon Fraser University
Meg Holden, Simon Fraser University
Jean-Philippe Deschamps-Laporte, Statistics Canada

Presented By:
Heather Oland, City of Vancouver
Kelly Lin, Terra Social Purpose Real Estate
Duncan McMaster, Councillor, District of Tofino
Donalene Rapada, Hiyam ta Skwxwu7mesh Housing Society
Sarah Alexander, City of Burnaby

Presented By:
Angi Ross, BCNPHA

Presented By:
Madeleine Hebert, Happy Cities
Sheree Emmanuel, Happy Cities
Tracy Liang, Mini Village

Join a team of conflict resolution specialists from Mediate BC to ask your questions about managing conflict, whether between tenants, staff and tenants, or elsewhere. Registrants can send questions before the session or, if time allows, ask questions from the floor. What do you want to know about skills and resources for managing conflict? Do you need additional tools for conflict prevention? Need help disrupting intransigent, long-term conflict? Ask a Mediator.

Presented By:
Ann Lee, Mediate BC
Sharon Sutherland, Mediate BC Society
Ashley Syer, Syer Law
Elaine McCormack, Wilson McCormack Law Group

Presented By:
Moderated by Diamond Isinger from The Federation of Community Social Services of BC (FCSSBC)
Panelists:
Annie Smith – McCreary Centre Society 
Adrienne Montani - First Call Child & Youth Advocacy Society 
Jennifer Mortimer – Beacon Community Services

Presented By:
Katie Maslechko, Rental Protection Fund (RPF)

Deep energy retrofits aim to significantly improve building performance by upgrading the building’s envelope and mechanical system. Whether you have a single building or a large portfolio, BCNPHA’s Asset Management team can assist with the project development and financial planning to support your retrofit goals. In this session, we will take you step by step through a roadmap to getting there, as well as demonstrating the benefits and potential challenges.

Presented By:

Draven Darkke, M'akola Housing Society
Rupert Campbell, 
Shahed Shafazand, Aboriginal Housing Management Association (AHMA)
Edward Beckett, BCNPHA
Sara Fralin, Aboriginal Housing Management Association (AHMA)

Have you updated your record-keeping requirements according to recent changes with the Societies Act? Need a refresher? When was the last time you looked at your privacy policy? In this workshop tailored to non-profits, hear from PLEO Legal Director Martha Rans on best practices for privacy and recordkeeping to ensure your organization is in accordance with the Societies Act and the Personal Information and Privacy Act.

Presented By:
Martha Rans, Law for Non-Profits

During a time of perpetual growth in the non-profit housing sector, many organizations are in various stages of expansion. Growth is relative and the complexities associated with planning for operational scalability and long-term success are significant. 
The Capital Region Housing Corporation offers insights from our growth journey, including success stories and lessons learned specific to our own operational scalability initiatives and ongoing adaption strategies. Topics will include embracing adaptable processes, positioning operational infrastructure, staff development and leveraging resources.

Presented By:
Don Elliott, Capital Region Housing Corporation

Carissa Baynes, Capital Region Housing Corporation

An organization's guiding principles are built on its DNA. They go deeper than what the organization does to explore the values that guide its operations, and how those operations are implemented. Guiding principles, sometimes referred to as core values, work alongside mission and vision statements to better characterize the values and essence of the organization and what it is working to accomplish. Participants in this session will learn what guiding principles are and how to create yours.

Presented By:
Frank Atnikov, Frank Growth Solutions

Presented By:
Madeleine Hebert, Happy Cities
Michelle Hoar, Hey Neighbour Collective

Join Delta Housing Be Mine Society (DHBMS) as we delve into the significance and value of partnerships in forming holistic communities. Drawing from our extensive experience, we will highlight three key outcomes: education; creative solutions; and, advocacy campaign. Through our presentation, we aim to ignite a collective passion for building tomorrow's communities, one partnership at a time. Together, we can create environments where every individual thrives and belongs.

Presented By:
Shirley-Ann Reid, Delta Housing Be Mine Society

Back by popular demand and in its fifth year of offering, come meet with fellow non-profit housing providers to discuss the topics and concerns you want to address. Bring your ideas, challenges and information to share. Part networking, part forum, this session is specifically geared to those who manage building assets. Please note this session is for non-profit housing providers only.

Presented By:

Jackie Kanyuk, BCNPHA

Presented By:
Erin Smandych, BC Housing
Rachel McIlroy, BC Housing
Jonathan Bean, BC Housing

Presented By:
Jim Loney, More Than a Roof Housing Society

Presented By:
Carolyn Whitzman, University of Ottawa

Presented By:
Carla Guerrera, Purpose Driven Development
Sydney Edwards, Purpose Driven Development
Annelise van der Veen, Purpose Driven Development

Join Dr. Dustin Louie in an introduction and overview of Transformative Reconciliation, a training program designed to help senior leaders in the community social services and housing sectors engage in the difficult conversations around reconciliation and decolonization. This introduction is ideal for leaders who are keen to create real-world approaches to reconciliation that are founded on decolonizing principles and Indigenous Knowledges, but not sure where to start. The program is designed to be inclusive of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous participants and Indigenous and non-Indigenous organizations. Everyone is welcome - if you are interested this is for you.

Presented By:

Presented By:
Celeste Hayward, Aboriginal Housing Management Association (AHMA)
Brenda Pazos Gonzalez, Kekinow Native Housing Society
Ron Rice, Victoria Native Friendship Centre
Rosanna  McGregor, Cariboo Friendship Society

Presented By:
Nancy Simmonds, Heartland Foundation

Paulina Ascencio, Federation of Canadian Municipalities

Dami Dabiri, BCNPHA

This session will provide an overview of the systemic role of BC’s Office of the Human Rights Commissioner within the human rights system in the province, and explore rights and responsibilities under the B.C. Human Rights Code related to housing as a protected area. The session will also review the human rights challenges related to housing, outlined in the recent “Rights in focus: Lived realities in BC” report. Participants will also learn about BCOHRC’s Human Rights Recommendations Database and build awareness of the recommendations offered by human rights advocates related to housing throughout the past 10 years.

Presented By:
Meghan Toal, BC's Office of the Human Rights Commissioenr
Monica Petek, BC's Office of the Human Rights Commissioner
Jordan Deppiesse, BC's Office of the Human Rights Commissioner

Presented By:
Vanessa Sun, Canada Mortgage & Housing Corporation (CMHC)
Carolyn Gisborne, Canada Mortgage & Housing Corporation (CMHC)
Lynn Roxburgh, City of New Westminster