Housing

Recommendation 4: Relevant public bodies should continue to build additional affordable housing that offers a flexible and progressive range of supports, specifically designed for people with mental health or substance userelated disabilities. For example, a person should have the option to move from a group home with onsite staff to an apartment managed by a local mental health non-profit as their health and if they chose to do so.

Housing

Recommendation 5: The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing should develop a neutral, easy-to-use process for tenants to identify and voice their tenancy and assistance needs, with a focus on clients that might experience disability-related barriers doing so on their own (for example, clients in supportive housing arrangements). The service should be contracted out to be delivered by a low-barrier community-based organization where people with disabilities already access services

Housing

Recommendation 6: The Attorney General should create a legal means to consider tenancy and anti-discrimination rights under the BC Human Rights Code when they are raised before the Residential Tenancy Branch. This could include a process for the BC Human Rights Tribunal to issue interim orders once a human rights complaint has been filed and amendments to the Residential Tenancy Act that allow for an interim delay in a residential tenancy dispute when such an interim order has been issued.

Disability assistance

Recommendation 9: Provide funding for case managers and peer navigation staff in community organizations that serve people with mental health and substance use-related disabilities and complex issues such as homelessness to help them gain access to the system. Trained people with lived or living experience should fill these roles wherever possible to ensure low barrier, empathetic and responsive services.