• Housing NOW

Housing NOW Sector Referral Program

Building a Stronger Network for Workforce Housing

Housing NOW is inviting local employers, institutions, and community organizations to participate in our Sector Referral Partnership Program. The program supports workforce stability across the Southern Gulf Islands by connecting local employers and institutions with designated housing options for their staff. Through coordinated partnerships and a streamlined referral process, workers can access safe, stable housing close to their job sites.

Housing NOW

Housing NOW is connecting hosts and renters through industry‑specific referral codes to create a more resilient, community‑supported housing ecosystem across the Southern Gulf Islands.

This model can be applied to any sector such as:

  • Education

  • Trades

  • Hospitality

  • Emergency Services

  • Transportation

How it works

When an organization joins the Housing NOW Sector Referral Program, they play an active role in helping create local housing options for their workers. Housing NOW assigns each partner organization a sectorspecific referral code. The partner reaches out to their own networks — staff, friends, family, volunteers, and community supporters — to identify people who may be willing to rent a room or space to workers in their industry. Workers use this code when registering through Happipad, which unlocks housing options designated for their sector and island placement.

Partner organizations share information about the program with their networks.

Hosts who want to support workers in a specific industry sign up using the partner’s industry referral code.

Workers in that industry use the same referral code when registering as renters.

Industry Example

A regional Healthcare Network joins the referral program to support nurses, care aides, and medical technicians working across the islands.

The Healthcare Network shares its referral code with supporters. Anyone willing to host a nurse, care aide, or medical technician signs up on Happipad using this code, confirming they are offering housing specifically for healthcare workers.

The Healthcare Network distributes its referral code to staff. A nurse assigned to Galiano Island enters this code during Happipad registration and immediately gains access to housing options available to healthcare workers on that island.

Responsibilities of Housing NOW

Housing NOW will:

  • Maintain and update referral codes
  • Coordinate with Happipad to ensure accurate access pathways
  • Provide partners with current information on available housing options
  • Support partner onboarding and implementation

Partner Responsibilities

Participating organizations agree to:

  • Distribute referral codes to eligible workers
  • Communicate workforce housing needs to Housing NOW
  • Participate in periodic program reviews
  • Support accurate and timely onboarding of new staff into the referral system

What are the benefits for the partner organization?

  • Improved Recruitment & Retention

    Reduces housing barriers for essential workers

  • Streamlined Access

    Sectorspecific pathway to available housing

  • Geographic Alignment

    Housing availability matches workforce placement needs

  • Regional Coordination

    Building a shared SGI housing network

  • Reduced Administrative Burden

    Housing NOW and Happipad manage the system

The referral network is designed to grow as new partners join. Additional codes may be created to support emerging workforce needs across healthcare, trades, hospitality, education and other sectors. This community‑driven approach helps build sustainable, safe and stable housing options across the Southern Gulf Islands.

Become a Referral Partner Now

Contact Housing NOW through the Southern Gulf Islands Community Resource Centre.

Email: housingnow@sgicommunityresources.ca
Phone: 250-629-3665

Service Area: Pender, Mayne, Galiano, Saturna and the surrounding Southern Gulf Islands

Contact HN Pender

Contact HN Mayne & Saturna

Contact HN Galiano

Contact HN Salt Spring

Contact Us

Follow us on Instagram

Sign up to our ṮEṮÁĆES Housing Newsletter

Visit our Community Connect Resource Hub

Our Partners

 

The Southern Gulf Island Community Resource Centre and the Housing NOW Registry Program are committed to protecting your privacy. The SGICRC and Housing NOW collect, use, and disclose your personal information in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPPA) as well as other applicable legislation. Our Privacy Policies can be found here.

INFORMATION PROVIDED AS PUBLIC SERVICE ONLY – DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY AND LIABILITY
The information and documents contained in this Website are provided by the SGICRC solely as a public service. Any persons or business entities using any of the information or documents provided on the Web site do so at their own risk. This Web site and all of the information and documents contained therein are provided “as is” without warranty, whether express or implied, of any kind. All implied warranties, including without limitation, implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement are expressly disclaimed.

Under no circumstances will the SGICRC be liable in any manner whatsoever to any person or business entity who uses in any way the documents or information from the Web site or from any other Web site to which this site is linked, for any direct, indirect, special, incidental, consequential, or other damages including without limitation, lost profits, business interruption, or loss of programs.

Research: Information contained in any documents created by The Housing NOW Project Staff, has been created solely as a resource to the reader. Although we are providing these resources to the public it is up to you as an individual to conduct your own due diligence to ensure that any framework, housing or otherwise, conforms with your particular jurisdiction(s) whether that be the CRD, municipality, the Islands Trust, or any other governing body.

Data Collection: It is important to note that regarding surveys, questionnaires, and data collection there is no established threshold for defining a high response rate. What we do know is the higher the response rate the more accurate and valid the prospective observations are. As we collect more data and more residents complete surveys, and questionnaires, and provide more qualitative responses these patterns may change.