Affordable Housing Action Research Team

The Affordable Housing Action Research Team (AH ART) is committed to tackling the housing crisis in the Capital Regional District. Our purpose is to address the critical housing shortage, including preventing demovictions and renovictions, youth and adult homelessness, and lack of affordable housing for families, seniors, youth, single people, and people with disabilities.

The AH ART is currently focusing on the “Affordable Housing for All” campaign.

Affordable Housing For All Campaign

GVAT has called on local governments in Greater Victoria to embrace a Human Rights approach to housing as an overarching framework in municipal programs and decisions, pursuing the following actions:

1. Buy land for social housing.

2. Build social housing.

3. Prioritize housing for the unhoused.

4. Protect renters.

5. Zone land to prioritize affordable housing.

6. Integrate affordable housing with affordable low-carbon transportation.

You can find details of our Homes For All municipal platform here, and find out more about our successful Homes For All Community Assembly here.

Since assembly on October 2nd, 2022, we have met with several Saanich and Victoria councillors, and then with the mayors of all four core municipalities (Kevin Murdoch in Oak Bay, Dean Murdock in Saanich, Barb Desjardins in Esquimalt, and Marianne Alto in Victoria) to discuss how the elements of our Housing Platform could align with their council’s housing and transportation strategies, and how GVAT can advocate to ensure their implementation. All the mayors have encouraged us to continue providing feedback. GVAT will continue to monitor Council activities and press for the increased supply of affordable and supportive housing. We have requested a meeting with Minister of Housing Ravi Kahlon to discuss provincial initiatives to solve the housing crisis.

Over the past four years, we have advocated for housing solutions including:

  • better tenant protection against renovictions and demovictions,

  • approval of rezoning applications from non-profit housing developments,

  • the legalization of secondary suites and boarders, and an increase in the number of unrelated residents in a housing unit.

2022 Housing Assembly

If you’d like to check out the extended Housing Assembly video, it can be found here.

Highlights of Past Actions

Creating Community Conversations around Housing

I. “Creating Inclusive Communities” Workshops

In partnership with The Existence Project, we hosted free community workshops to de-stigmatize being un-housed across Victoria. In the workshops participants: 

  • listened to the story of someone who has experienced being un-housed

  • reflected on social issues happening in their neighbourhood and

  • envisioned working housing solutions for their community.

  • GVAT’s contribution to this project included co-hosting workshops with The Existence Project, and liaising with neighbourhood action teams formed from participants in these workshops. We continue to advocate for supportive and affordable housing in all neighbourhoods.

    II. Saanich Neighborhood Conversations

    A Roof for Everyone: GVAT Workshops on the Housing Crisis in Saanich

    Two interactive workshops were jointly organized by Holy Cross, St. Patrick’s, Broad View and the First Unitarian Churches. The first took place at Holy Cross on Feb. 26, 2022, the second at Broad View on April 23, 2022. Saanich Councillor Zack de Vries was the guest speaker at both events.

  • These workshops, mainly for residents of Saanich

    • informed participants of the gap between current and projected housing needs in Saanich, and the available housing supply;

    • dispelled biases and misconceptions against renters and residents of social housing;

    • invited participants to imagine truly inclusive communities (sharing space with others);

    • created understanding of different Housing terms (market, affordable, social, supportive, emergency).

    More details can be found in the blogs: Feb. 26 workshop; April 23 workshop.

Youth in Care Transitioning into Adulthood Campaign

GVAT’s Affordable Housing ART, in collaboration with GVAT’s member organization, Threshold Housing Society, fought hard to obtain more support for youth in care transitioning into adulthood in BC. 

Youth under public care lose their foster-care home and all support services when they turn nineteen. Fifty-five percent of these youth become homeless within one year. There are about 150 homeless youth (aged 16-24) in the CRD; an estimated 300 more live in precarious housing conditions. The rate of homelessness among Indigenous and LGBTQIA2S+ youth is disproportionately high. 

GVAT first called on the B C Government to implement the plan to end youth homelessness outlined in the Feb. 2020 report “From Marginalized to Magnified, Youth Homelessness Solutions from Those with Lived Expertise” (Feb. 2020) by Katherine McParland. We later asked the Government to pay attention to all the recommendations made in the Dec. 2020 report from the Representative for Children and Youth in B. C., “A Parent’s Duty: Government’s Obligation to Youth Transitioning into Adulthood.” 

GVAT delegations met with four provincial ministers in 2021, to urge them to take advantage of the current moratorium on youth aging out of care (extended till March 31, 2022 due to the pandemic) to work on this goal: that BC becomes the first province in Canada where no youth leaves care without having first been assured of safe housing and support services.

In its budget announcements February 2022, the BC Provincial Government promised $35 million over the next three years to fund continuing emergency housing supports put in place during the pandemic for youth in care , adding a $600-a-month rent supplement, hiring about 80 additional workers to help youth transition into independence, boosting income by no longer deducting job earnings from government support, improving access to counselling and life-skills programs, and medical and dental benefits. The new measures will provide more services for former youth in care up to the age 27. This is a significant victory for GVAT and all other organisations which have been advocating for this cause. We will continue monitoring the implementation of all the promised changes. See also blog on this win.

Affordable Housing Action Research Team Co-Leads

  • Kari Michaels

    Affordable Housing ART Co-lead

    Kari Michaels is an Executive Vice-President of the BC General Employees’ Union. She joined the BCGEU as a member when she and her fellow workers stood up to their hostile employer and formed a union at their worksite. Kari is a passionate advocate for social justice and believes in building workers’ capacity to take action to improve their working and living conditions. This work has most recently extended to her community outreach and advocacy work concerning the role of labour in addressing BC's housing crisis through the Affordable BC campaign.

  • Lynn Beak

    Affordable Housing ART Co-lead

    Lynn Beak has been an active volunteer with community groups for decades. She has a background and passion in facilitating growth and strengthening community voices, particularly focused on women's issues and affordable housing. She practiced law in northern Ontario at a community-based legal clinic, and represented northern Ontario on the National Action Committee for the Status of Women for several years. She has also represented provincial governments in their engagement with First Nations. Most recently, she taught justice-related courses at Royal Roads University. She hikes, kayaks and enjoys folk music.