Affordable Housing

39 years.

How long it takes the average household to save for the minimum down payment of a non-condo home in Vancouver.¹

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105,000.

The number of households in BC that pay more than 50 per cent of their gross income on rent. This means that one-in-six renters are at an increased risk of homelessness.²

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27%

Rent growth is "driven by large increases in rents of units at turnover." New tenants in Vancouver paid 27 per cent higher rent than previous tenants, when compared to units that didn’t turn over.³

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Here’s what we can do about it — together.

Increase supply.

We believe that government and the market on their own can’t solve the complex housing problems we face. There are many organizations with land that want to build affordable housing, but lack the funds to help them reach the construction phase.

The pre-construction phase is one of the most risky stages of development, and financial support (like lending) can often be too expensive or difficult to secure for organizations.

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"It's too risky."

When it was "too risky" to lend to women without a co-signer in the 1950s, or when it was "too risky" to lend to people living East of Cambie Street in the 1940s, we didn't stand by. We were the first to approve their loans.

And now, we're addressing one of the greatest problems of our time. Every time you put money in a bank account, you’re giving decision-making power to that bank. At Vancity, your deposits help build affordable housing by giving organizations access to low-cost pre-construction loans.

Banking differently builds affordable homes.

By working closely with community partners and with the support of 570,000+ Vancity members, we have been able to support the increase in supply of affordable rental and owned housing.

The Vancity Affordable Housing Accelerator Fund, launched in 2011, has so far helped finance:

5,658 units

of affordable rental homes.

96 loans

to community organizations.

$39 million

to develop affordable housing.

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As for our own branches, when we renovate or build new ones, we work with partners to build affordable homes above our buildings where possible. We invest in our communities and want to put the sites we operate from to more use that benefit our neighbours.

Proof with roofs.

All this is only possible because Vancity members know that where they put their money matters, and they choose to put theirs here.

How does it work? A portion of day-to-day deposits are lent out to impactful projects that align with our values. On top of that, 30% of our annual net profits are invested back into BC communities.