British Columbia is home to over a million seniors1 , who make up 26% of the province’s nearly 4,000,000 private households2 . Safe, affordable, and accessible housing is a key determinant of health, particularly for seniors3 . According to Statistics Canada’s widely used measure of low income, the Low Income Cut Offs (LICOs), over 9% of British Columbian seniors (99,045) are low income and must spend 20% or more than average of their after-tax household income on food, shelter, and clothing2 . Moreover, half of all seniors who rent in this province experience housing affordability problems4 . Access to appropriate and affordable housing is imperative in promoting healthy and successful aging; however, it is also a complex task given the wide range of needs and options across the housing continuum for seniors. Non-profit housing societies build and manage long-term, affordable shelter for those unable to find affordable housing on the private market. Nearly two-thirds of the province’s non-profit housing societies offer a range of housing and support options to seniors, from independent housing, to supportive housing and assisted living, to residential care. The non-profit housing sector therefore plays a valuable role in helping low-income seniors find affordable and appropriate housing options that help promote healthy and successful aging.
The BC Non-Profit Housing Association is a provincial umbrella organization providing leadership, education, services, and advocacy to the non-profit housing sector. Non-profit housing societies offer over 50,000 units of long-term affordable non-market housing to British Columbians in need. The BCNPHA Research Department has created the most comprehensive database in BC of these societies and their units through its Asset Analysis Project, funded by the Real Estate Foundation of BC, Vancity Community Foundation, and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of BC & Yukon. This database collates data about the sector from three key sources, including a detailed non-profit housing provider survey launched by BCNPHA in 2008, the City of Vancouver’s non-market housing inventory, and an operational database from BC Housing. Together these form the baseline data needed for the long-term planning for the sustainability of the non-profit housing sector in BC.