In gratitude, The Housing NOW Project acknowledges that we live, work and learn on the traditional territories of  the W̱SÁNEĆ people,  also known as the Coast Salish First Nations, including the Tsawout, Tseycum, Tsartlip, Pauquachin, Penelakut, Lyackson and others. 

We give our thanks to the past, present, and future – the ancestors, hereditary leaders and matriarchs for their care of the rich resources and cultural teachings of these unique and beautiful Islands on which we are merely visitors.

About the Project

In February 2018, the CRD published the Southern Gulf Islands Housing Needs Assessment. This assessment noted the “serious shortages in secure, appropriate and affordable housing for low to moderate-income earners,” and that “renters are particularly impacted as their incomes are insufficient to enter the homeownership market, and the limited number of rental properties are increasingly vacant seasonally or placed in the vacation rental market.”

This year, thanks to the SGI CRC and its partners, we’re taking it one step further—with a project that helps us understand the needs of our community members who are looking for affordable, and flexible housing options. The SGI Housing NOW Project will allow us to explore innovative ways to meet this housing crisis.

In a region with a high population of seniors, and recent retirees, as well as a thriving seasonal tourist trade, housing for low- and middle-income earners is essential for the community to function both year-round and in the high pitch of summer. 

The summer months are of significant consequence as the lack of accommodations for seasonal employees negatively impacts the general economy and functionality of community-owned and operated businesses. Community members have strongly described the housing situation as bordering on crisis, and as having serious impacts on themselves and their families, community well-being, and economic sustainability.

The SGI Housing NOW Project: an initiative of the SGI CRC and the SGI Community Economic Sustainability Commission (CESC), as well as several Gulf Island housing movements, has begun  to collect data from community members about what they need from their housing situations—and how our communities can help them meet those needs NOW. Through this relationship building, we will gain a clear understanding of what is necessary to support the success of any housing initiative in the SGIs and to aid in the creation of alternative housing solutions for seasonal employees.