District creates new Squamish Community Housing Society

The District of Squamish has established a Squamish Community Housing Society to increase the supply, availability and access to affordable housing options in the community.

The Society will work with the District of Squamish, non-profit housing agencies and the community to grow and sustain a diverse range and supply of affordable housing options as well as implement management and access efficiencies where appropriate.

The Society was formally established in December 2021 and is intended to be operational by mid-2022 once the positions of Board of Directors and the Executive Director have been filled, recruitment for which is now underway.

Once operational, its first steps will be to establish a single point of contact and a waiting list for affordable housing in the community outside of individual non-profit housing providers, and assume management of affordable housing units that are being provided in new developments as part of Community Amenity Contributions related to re-zonings.

It is anticipated that a number of these units will reach the occupancy stage starting in late 2023. The Society has also been tasked with the development of a new housing project in the community within the next few years with more to follow.

“Housing affordability continues to be a critical priority for our community to ensure that housing options exist at affordable levels and that residents have the option to live and work in Squamish regardless of their income,” said  Mayor Karen Elliott. “There is an urgent need for affordable housing in Squamish. Helping to facilitate affordable housing projects through the establishment of the Society will bring us closer to our goal of being a community in which stable, secure and affordable housing options are available to those who need it. While the 232 units at Westwinds for seniors and 76 units on Buckley Avenue will both achieve occupancy in 2022, we recognize there is still much work to do on this front, and we look forward to collaborating with the Housing Society to ensure the policy, zoning and process is in place to help them achieve their goals.”

The Squamish Community Housing Society will operate independently, but in collaboration with the District, as a non-profit organization governed by a Board of Directors comprised of a member of District of Squamish Council as well as representatives from:

Howe Sound Women’s Centre Society;

Sea to Sky Community Services Society;

Squamish Helping Hands Society;

Squamish Senior Living Society;

Squamish Nation or Hiy̓ám̓ ta Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Housing Society;

A member of the public who occupies an affordable housing unit within the District of Squamish;

A member representing the private development sector, such as a real estate developer or residential builder;

Two members with expertise or experience in the housing or legal sector, such as a housing advocate, social worker or property manager.