Restoring Affordability and Hope
GivingTuesday is a global movement that inspires people to champion the causes they believe in and support the communities they call home. It’s a day to come together and create meaningful impact. This GivingTuesday, we invite you help advance Vancity Community Foundation's efforts to restore affordability and hope. Make a donation today and join VCF and other like-minded donors in supporting local leaders, organizations, and networks to advance solutions.
Vancity Community Foundation's mission is to work with communities to create the economic, social, and environmental conditions to collectively thrive. Below we feature the Vancity Affordable Community Housing Program and BC Rent Bank. Through these programs and more we seek to restore affordability and hope.
Affordable Community Housing
Since 2011, the Vancity Affordable Community Housing Program has worked to remove barriers for community housing organizations—helping get projects construction-ready and completed faster. To date, we have supported the development of over 5,000 new affordable rental homes. There is still so much more to be done. BC is experiencing a housing crisis, with over 100,000 households paying more than 50% of their income on rent.
Take the story of The Springs in Port Moody.
BC Rent Bank
Renters in our province face some of the highest rent prices and lowest vacancy rates in Canada. And today’s cost of living crisis means many people are just one emergency away from missing their rent payment and facing eviction. Since 2019, BC Rent Bank has provided vital supports and services to renters, helping them remain safely and securely housed during short-term financial crises that affect their ability to pay for rent or utilities. To date, BC Rent Bank has kept 10,770 renters housed.
Cynthia was one of these renters.
At Vancity Community Foundation, we know that any response to the challenges of our time must be rooted in equity and justice, ensuring solutions are led by the community and inclusive of all. If you believe the same, you’ll take heart in the fact that for 35 years, VCF has operated with the belief that if we work together, we will have the resources we need to build a thriving community. And in this milestone year we were proud to unveil a new strategic plan that responds to the challenges we face.
Vancity Community Foundation aims to work with supporters like yourself to truly distribute power and build thriving communities where lives are dignified, and nature is in balance. At the heart of our new strategic plan is a commitment to be community-led and prioritize funding for those pushed into the margins – specifically Indigenous and Black communities – in all our work, including across our main areas of focus: restoring affordability, climate justice and resilience, and community connection.
We are grateful for your support of our community and the champions within them who work every day to make life better for people. We believe that, together, we can confront these challenges and create positive change — even in turbulent times.