Improving anti-racism accountability systems in housing

Implement policy and legislative safeguards for PADs

Recommendation 65: The Ministry of Attorney General and Minister Responsible for Housing should ensure that the upcoming Anti-racism Legislation provides clear, reliable and empathetic options for reporting anti-Black racism and discrimination in housing. The legislation should also impose adequate punishments for racist and discriminatory landlords.

Improving anti-racism accountability systems in housing

Implement policy and legislative safeguards for PADs

Recommendation 66: The Ministry of Attorney General and Minister Responsible for Housing should explicitly regulate against gentrification and ban practices that pigeonhole People of African Descent and families into living in particular residential zones in BC cities. This should include funding and collaboration with People of African Descent organizations to deepen tenants and landlords’ awareness of their rights and responsibilities. This is particularly crucial for People of African Descent renters to more easily access information on their options in various scenarios and on how to protect their rights.

Improving anti-racism accountability systems in housing

Enable data collection to measure and report progress in equity and diversity

Recommendation 67: The Ministry of Attorney General and Minister Responsible for Housing should ensure that the race-based data legislation incorporate sufficient measures to allow BC Housing and other housing providers to collect, use, and publish data on People of African Descent housing situations in BC that would enable a holistic understanding of the prevailing trends and dynamics as they relate to ownership, accountability, access to credit, share of distributed affordable housing units, homelessness and the general place of anti-Black racism on access to housing.

Deepening representation in housing

Deepen equity in service delivery by and to PADs

Recommendation 68: BC Housing should increase housing supply for People of African Descent by establishing and funding programs that reserve portions of new affordable housing units for members of the People of African Descent community. In doing this, it is critical to partner with nonprofit developers and developers with the necessary cultural competency and ties to minority communities to prevent the formation of ghetto-like complexes.

Deepening representation in housing

Deepen equity in service delivery by and to PADs

Recommendation 69: The Province should work with financial institutions, municipalities, and People of African Descent community groups and housing experts to support the establishment of land trusts, social enterprise housing corporations, and rent-to-own units that will provide credible alternative approaches to house and land ownership, beyond conventional mortgage financing.

Improving access to housing

Increase the recruitment of PADs

Recommendation 70: BC Housing should improve diversity in staffing and include People of African Descent on teams that interview applicants of affordable housing units to support the development of culturally-appropriate housing for the People of African Descent community across the province including having homes that can accommodate bigger families and support communal and co-op living.

Improving access to housing

Deepen equity in service delivery by and to PADs

Recommendation 71: The Province should increase funding for People of African Descent organisations and tenant support agencies to provide free advice on housing investments, and rent support programs targeted at People of African Descent in economic precarity.

Improving access to housing

Support PAD-led models and community collaboration

Recommendation 72: The Province should commit to working with the Hogan’s Alley Working Group to deepen the long term involvement and investment of the Black Community in the future life of the historic 898 Main Street block in Vancouver through the exploration of land trusts, long term leases, or other arrangements as appropriate.