It is with pleasure that BC Non-Profit Housing Association, the Co-operative Housing Federation of BC, and the Aboriginal Housing Management Association submit our Budget 2023 consultation paper. We recommend the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services consider the following proposals to strengthen housing affordability in BC:
- Move up $4.2 billion in housing supply investments so it can be spent immediately. The provincial
government has $4.6 billion planned in housing investments between 2022 and 2028, and the
community housing sector has the capacity to use over $4.2 billion to build over 10,000 affordable
homes. - Support AHMA’s Urban Rural and Northern Indigenous Housing Strategy, allocating funding for the
planning and implementation stages of the key actions dedicated to addressing Indigenous housing
needs across the province. - Commit $500M in capital funding to develop a rental housing acquisition strategy, that helps non-profit and co-operative housing providers acquire rental housing stock as it comes up for sale on the
market to address the rapid loss of deeply affordable rental market homes.
Taken together, these proposals will ensure that British Columbians have increased access to affordable housing and that their housing is affordable, safe, and in a livable state of repair.