Let's Talk Housing: A Podcast by BC Housing
British Columbia is in the grips of a housing affordability crisis decades in the making. The Province has an ambitious plan to tackle the crisis through the largest investment in housing affordability in B.C.’s history. Tasked with building tens of thousands of homes in hundreds of communities is BC Housing, the agency responsible for developing, managing, and administering a wide range of subsidized housing and homelessness services across the province. BC Housing doesn’t do this alone, they work with hundreds of partners. In this podcast, you’ll hear from those tackling the crisis head on.
- Update frequency
- every 11 days
- Average duration
- 26 minutes
- Episodes
- 51
- Years Active
- 2022 - 2025
S3E4 – Supporting Communities During Climate Emergencies (Part 2)
Sara continues the conversation with Kathleen MacKinnon from Turning Points Collaborative Society and Nanette Drobot from BC Housing, exploring the warm community welcome folks received once arrivin…
S3E4- Supporting Communities During Climate Emergencies Part 1
This past summer, Canada had its worst wildfire season on record. In this two-part series, Sara speaks with Kathleen MacKinnon from Turning Points Collaborative Society and BC Housing’s Nanette Drobo…
S3E3 - Supporting Youth in our Communities
Kiwassa Neighbourhood House is helping young people in East Vancouver thrive, despite the many challenges they face. In this episode, Sara speaks with Rohani Seddiq, who runs Kiwassa's summer youth p…
S3E1 - A Conversation with British Columbia’s Minister of Housing, Hon. Ravi Kahlon
Minister Ravi Kahlon shares his thoughts on the biggest housing challenges facing British Columbia and the efforts being made to address them. The Minister shares his vision for the future of housing…
S3E2 - Shining a Light on Indigenous Understandings of Homelessness
Sara speaks to filmmaker Joseph Kafka and storyteller Patrick Stewart about an Indigenous-led video series titled ‘Where Are All My Relations’. Each story offers a human perspective on the data assoc…
S2E12 - Safe Havens for Women and their Children
This week we’re resharing an interview with Sairoz Sekhon, Director of Women’s Transition Housing & Supports Program at BC Housing, and Allison McLauchlan, Executive Director at Kelowna Women’s Shelt…
S2E11 - Inside the Rainier Hotel
We hear a lot about single room occupancy (SRO) hotels in the news - most of it pretty grim. In today's episode, Sara visits the Rainier Hotel, a low-barrier SRO located in Vancouver’s Gastown. It’s …
S2E10 - Finding Stability Through Affordable Housing
Getting affordable, rental housing is hard for large families. Finding homes with enough space for kids, in a family-friendly neighbourhood, can be challenging. On this episode, Sara talks with Stanl…
S2E9 - Saving a Housing Co-op
More than 30,000 people live in co-op housing in BC. Together, co-op members are creating homes and communities. Like other housing groups, co-op members face challenges, aging buildings and higher c…
S2E8 - The Vienna House Project
Climate change is spurring architects and housing developers around the world to think about how to make homes more comfortable and safe during extreme weather. Those who are most at risk from climat…
S2E7 - Designing Accessible Housing
About six million Canadians aged 15 and older have one or more disabilities. That number is expected to grow. This episode explores how BC Housing is designing homes for people of all ages and abilit…
S2E6 - Helping Housing Residents Through Employment
Project Rise is a new program in Nanaimo that helps people in supportive housing find employment. Run by Island Crisis Care Society (ICCS), Project Rise provides skill-training and opportunities for …
S2E5 - Safe Housing for Women
The first dedicated women-only shelter in Kamloops opened this fall, providing specialized services for women experiencing homelessness. Harbour House is operated by The Mustard Seed, a local not-for…
S2E4 - How Do Newcomers Get Affordable Housing in BC?
In 2021, BC welcomed more newcomers than any other region in Canada. With an aging population, declining birthrate, and the lowest unemployment rate in decades, Canada is set to welcome hundreds of t…
S2E3 - Rebuilding Homes After the Flood
In November 2021, devastating floods affected thousands of British Columbians. Five people lost their lives. Property damage was in the billions of dollars. Princeton was one of the towns particularl…
S2E2 - Mayors Talk Housing
Municipalities across B.C. are working hard to address the housing affordability crisis. In this episode, two outgoing mayors, Lyn Hall of Prince George and Lisa Helps of Victoria, join Sara to discu…
S2E1 - From Shelter to Home: Joe's Story
Like many communities across BC, Quesnel is facing an increasing number of people that are precariously housed. This episode explores the challenges of moving from a shelter to permanent housing, and…
S1E12 - Operating a Business Below Supportive Housing
This episode explores what it’s like to run a thriving business in the same building where supportive housing residents live and a shelter is operating for people experiencing homelessness.
This we…
S1E11 - Activists and Public Sector Working Together
In this episode of Let’s Talk Housing we’ll be talking about systemic changes to address the root causes of homelessness. To foster this discussion, we’re joined by Chrissy Brett, Indigenous Housing …
S1E10 - Building Housing on Unceded Land
The Riverview Lands became many things to many people over the past 100 years, including as an institution for people with mental illness. Before it was “Riverview,” the lands were used and stewarded…