Affordable Housing Champion Award
2019 Award Recipients: Mayor Lisa Helps
BCNPHA launched the Affordable Housing Champion Award last year, which recognizes an individual or organization that has made a transformative contribution to the affordable housing sector.
2019 Award Recipient: Mayor Lisa Helps
Housing is one of the biggest issues facing our community and our local economy right now. From young families to seniors, finding appropriate, affordable housing to rent or own is difficult. And with the lowest unemployment rate in the country at 3.2%, businesses need workers and workers need housing. This is becoming a familiar and well-worn story. And it’s why City Council has made affordable housing a key priority in our 2019-2022 Strategic Plan with a heavy focus on housing in 2019 and 2020.
It’s also why over 150 housing stakeholders gathered for a full day for a Housing Summit. A diversity of people including renters advocates, developers, non-profit housing providers, policy experts, neighbourhood organizations and members of faith communities came together to provide input to update the City’s Housing Strategy.
Developed in 2015 out of the Mayor’s Task Force on Affordable Housing, much of the 2015-2016 Housing Strategy was implemented last term. Working with the community, Council and staff tackled 25 actions that were relatively easy, low-hanging fruit in order to increase housing supply and housing diversity, and build awareness.
This award is generously sponsored by:
Eligibility
The nominee:
- May be a person or organization within Canada.
- Must have have significantly contributed to affordable housing in BC.
- May be from outside of the affordable housing sector.
- May be a BCNPHA associate member.
Award Criteria
- Demonstrated commitment as an ambassador and champion of affordable housing.
- Strong advocate for affordable housing and takes initiative.
- Taken actions and shown transformative change in affordable housing, including policy and advocacy with tangible results.
- Strongly advocated on behalf of the non-profit housing sector.
- Taken initiative and displayed leadership.
- New way of developing unique solutions to problems in the province/region.
- Passionately promote the principles of the affordable housing sector.
- Attempted to achieve sustainable solutions to affordable housing challenges.
Previous Recipients:
2018 Marpole Students for Modular Housing
2017 Generation Squeeze
2016 Frances Bula
