Best practices to support resident wellbeing during redevelopment

Brightside Community Homes Foundation is redeveloping four of its affordable housing sites to better meet the needs of residents. We studied how the relocation process can better support resident wellbeing.

Rental and low-income housing stock across the Lower Mainland is rapidly nearing end of life, as many aging buildings can no longer meet the health and wellbeing needs of their residents.

As a result, many non-profit developers are redeveloping their existing buildings to better meet the growing need for affordable and supportive housing.

Supporting resident wellbeing during redevelopment

Redevelopment brings many benefits, allowing non-profit housing providers to offer affordable homes for a greater number of people—and build homes that better meet the needs of those people. However, the process poses challenges for a building’s existing residents, who must temporarily relocate while construction takes place. Non-profit housing providers face unique challenges in supporting residents’ wellbeing during this process, as many people who live in supportive and affordable housing may have limited income or experience barriers to finding appropriate housing.

Working with Brightside Community Homes Foundation, Happy Cities set out to study how the relocation process impacted residents’ wellbeing. Through a survey, in-person interviews, and phone calls with Brightside residents, we learned what worked well for people who had to move, and what aspects of the relocation process can be improved. Through this research, we were able to identify strengths and challenges to Brightside’s current relocation policy, and come up with recommendations that can help all types of housing providers support resident wellbeing during redevelopment processes.

The final report offers lessons for the wider housing industry on how cities, housing providers, and policymakers can work together to improve the relocation process—ensuring that resident wellbeing is at the heart of any redevelopment project. To learn more about the recommendations, please email us at info@happycities.com

Summary of results: Brightside resident relocation study
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About Brightside

Brightside is charitable non-profit housing provider that is currently redeveloping five of its affordable rental housing buildings in Vancouver. These redevelopments contribute to the organization’s goal to double the number of affordable homes it provides over the next 10 years. The four sites will provide nearly 500 homes once completed.