MEDIA RELEASE: Regional Mayors, Mayoral Candidates to Commit Support for Housing Policies In Front of Hundreds at “Homes for All Community Assembly”
For Immediate Release
UPDATED September 29th, Victoria BC - This Sunday, supporters and members from several local organizations are coming together for an event they hope will make a meaningful impact on delivering non-profit, rental and affordable housing in the region in the near future.
Municipalities play an important role in facilitating non-profit and affordable housing. On October 2nd, Greater Victoria Acting Together (“GVAT”) is hosting an assembly, rallying hundreds of supportive members and allies of their housing vision to send a strong message to mayoral candidates: Work together with all levels of government and use every tool in your toolkit to address the housing crisis.
After stories from impacted community members, event organizers will ask each attending mayoral candidate for their commitment to specific policies within municipal jurisdiction in addition to broadly urging a holistic approach. These policies have been proposed by GVAT after community consultations including policy experts and housing providers, and will be released to the public later this week.
“There are so many issues facing our communities, but when we explored what was most urgent with our member organizations, the response was resoundingly: affordable housing,” said Stephen Tyler, member of GVAT’s board and housing committee. “So we want to persuade candidates to embrace a human rights approach to housing, and to lead by committing to bold, climate-friendly policies so that whoever is elected will preserve and create non-profit and affordable housing.”
While the event focuses on housing, GVAT has also identified climate change and mental health and addictions as crucial community issues and actively engages with local and provincial governments on these matters.
“Our mission is to unify, organize and mobilize support for solutions to these intersecting challenges facing our region. And to act as a voice of ‘Yes’ in a seeming sea of ‘No,’ because we all benefit if our communities can get out in front of these ever-spiraling crises with positive measures for the common good,” said Tyler.
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What: GVAT’s Homes for All Community Assembly
When: Sunday, October 2nd, 7:00-8:30pm (doors at 6:30)
Where: Christ Church Cathedral, 930 Burdett Ave, Victoria | event will be livestreamed
Who: Storytellers impacted by the crisis, mayors, mayoral candidates from Victoria, Saanich,
Esquimalt & Oak Bay
For more information or to request interviews, contact:
Sonia Theroux, event coordinator
250-508-5277 | soniatheroux@gmail.com
About GVAT’s members | About GVAT’s housing campaign | Event info on gvat.ca
