Local resources
BC Housing 290 Nanaimo Avenue W, Penticton, B.C. V2A 1N5
Telephone: 250-493-0301 Fax: 250-492-1080 www.bchousing.org
Information for tenants, housing registry, application forms. Subsidized housing: encompasses all types of housing where by the provincial government provides some type of subsidy or rent assistance, including public, non-profit and co-operative housing, as well as SAFER: rent supplements for people over 60 living in private market housing. (see below)
Rental Assistance Program www.bchousing.org/programs/RAP
Housing: telephone and online resources
Canadian Bar Association
A Strata Title Owner’s Rights and Responsibilities. BC Dial-A-Law providing general information on strata title owners’ rights and responsibilities. www.bccba.org
Canadian Mortgage & Housing Corporation
Programs and financial assistance include: loans, forgivable loans or non-repayable contributions which can be used to fund repairs, renovations, accessibility modifications, the creation of low-income housing rental units, and home adaptations. Programs are available for low-income households, seniors and persons with disabilities.
Toll-free: 1-800-639-3938 www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca
Shelter Aid for Elderly Renters (SAFER) - BC Housing
Provides direct cash assistance to eligible residents of British Columbia who are age 60 or over and who pay rent for their homes. Apply through BC Housing.
Toll-free: 1-800-257-7756 www.bchousing.org
Finding Home is a new (free) e-book on homelessness in Canada with 29 chapters (so far) on justice, Aboriginal people, immigrants and refugees, women, children and youth, health, and – of course – housing. A section on housing rights is being planned. The e-book includes summaries of recently completed research reports as well as the best and most policy-relevant published articles from scholarly journals. The chapters have been edited to keep them at a length of 3,000 to 9,000 words and to ensure that they are accessible to a non-specialist audience. Each chapter is a separate dowloadable PDF. The e-book is organized into themes that represent specific groups of homeless people and issues that intersect with homelessness, along with a section on research issues. The book is designed to grow over time as new chapters are added. The book is published on the Homeless Hub.