UDI Virtual Webinar - Developing Below Market Housing: A guide for non-profit housing providers

Partnerships between non-profits and developers are becoming more commonplace in British Columbia with the growth and use of local government tools that require non-market units in multi-unit development projects. With the right planning and due diligence, these policies provide opportunities for non-profit housing providers to partner with developers.

Following up on the recent release of BCNPHA’s “A Path to Partnership”, this session will be exploring the idea of non-profits owning or leasing in new private developments. Our expert panel will be discussing how non-profit housing providers and developers can work together with local government and BC housing to expand the supply affordable homes.

Key Questions and Topics to be discussed:

• The role of BCNPHA & the "Path to Partnership Guide"
• What you need to know about the development process?
• How to find a partnership that aligns with the goals of each organization?
• What are the potential risks of a partnership?
• What is the role of the government to support and facilitate non-profit partnerships?

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PANELISTS

Stephani Baker has been a professional advocate for social causes for 16 years and a personal advocate for over 35 years.  Born and raised in North Vancouver and involved in municipal politics from an early age, she has deep historical knowledge of issues facing the Metro Vancouver communities and has served on numerous municipal committees.  She is genetically predisposed to construction, having started a construction company in her youth and personally built numerous homes over the decades.  Stephani was a banker for 15 years before moving into the non-profit world.  She is a leader in the fundraising field, overseeing philanthropy in several high-profile Vancouver organizations including Habitat Greater Vancouver. Working for Habitat for Humanity Greater Vancouver for the past nine years, Stephani is a leader in the non-profit housing sector and in particular as it relates to building strategy around and capacity for, affordable home ownership. She is actively involved with provincial and municipal governments and developers to creatively explore ways to integrate the Habitat for Humanity home equity model into local affordable housing strategies and thus expand housing access for all citizens on the housing continuum in Vancouver’s chronically expensive market. In her role as Interim CEO and Vice President Construction, Stephani represents Habitat in the community and leads it’s work while also overseeing the execution of all local build projects and sourcing community partners to mitigate build costs through the donation of goods, services and financial support. Habitat Greater Vancouver has built 51 units of housing with an additional 11 units completing in spring 2022.  40 units in Coquitlam are at early stages of development.  In addition, an MOU is in place with a local developer to include Habitat in a 340 unit multi-family project. 

Riaan de Beer - Vice President Development, Anthem
An architect by training, Riaan works on the oversight of projects and property teams in Anthem’s vertical development division. With an extensive career in real estate, he provides big picture thinking and mentorship to junior staff as part of his duties.  Riaan thrives on working in teams, establishing a clear vision and solving problems with lateral thinking.

Genevieve Bucher is the Director of Community Planning at the City of Coquitlam. She is responsible for the preparation and monitoring of key city-wide policies, strategies and plans, including the Official Community Plan and Housing Affordability Strategy. She is also responsible for policy development and implementation in child care, social planning, development finance and heritage as well as oversight for data, projections and mapping.  Genevieve brings over 15 years of planning and development experience with senior roles in the public, non-profit and private sectors focusing on the development of affordable housing and has a Master of Urban Studies degree from Simon Fraser University.

Erika Sagert (Moderator) is the Policy Manager at BC Non-Profit Housing Association and has been with the organization for almost 6 years. Her background is in affordable housing research and policy analysis. During her time with BCNPHA, she has led a diversity of projects including the 2018 Sector Salary Survey, the 2020 Homeless Count in Metro Vancouver and the Build Homes Not Barriers program. Erika has also contributed to many of BCNPHA’s key research and advocacy initiatives, including designing the dashboards for the Canadian Rental Housing Index and building the evidence base for multiple provincial and municipal advocacy campaigns. Erika is a community planner by trade and holds a master’s degree in Planning from the School of Community and Regional Planning at the University of British Columbia.