Description

Join us for a groundbreaking summit, Home Sweet Home: Locally Made Solutions to Fix the Housing Gap on Friday, March 1st, from 9 am to 5 pm, dedicated to propelling housing development and its social impact. We are convening a diverse and committed group of individuals to address the urgent need for innovative solutions in the face of soaring housing prices in our communities.

Why now?

In most cities within the Central Okanagan, housing prices have reached unprecedented levels, placing the dream of home ownership out of reach for many. The housing crisis demands immediate attention, and we are determined to explore unique and innovative solutions that will make housing more accessible for everyone, both now and for future generations.

Our focus:

We’re committed to expanding housing options beyond the usual focus of community organizations, with a special emphasis on developing “Missing Middle Housing.” By uniting different groups, our goal is to create a collaborative environment where cross-sector actions can be formulated to make positive changes in the availability of market/missing middle homes in our community.

This summit will not only act as a platform for building understanding and common ground across various sectors with the aim of reshaping the current housing landscape but also empower participating groups during the day to ensure they depart with concrete plans and the determination to implement them.

Key objectives for the day:

• Break down barriers and activate connections to foster meaningful collaborations.
• Strengthen ties between public and private sector contributors to address market housing solutions.
• Ensure that all stakeholders in the local space feel heard and have an opportunity to contribute to real solutions for affordable housing challenges.

Interactive and action-focused:

This summit is not just a gathering; it’s a call to action. We are creating an interactive environment designed to facilitate genuine collaboration across sectors. By the end of the day, we aim to see concrete, accountable actions that will drive positive change.

Keynote Speaker
Julia Deans – CEO – Habitat for Humanity Canada

Julia Deans is President & CEO of Habitat for Humanity Canada, a 46-local member federation focused on safe and affordable housing for all. With degrees from Queen’s University, Columbia University and Osgoode Hall Law School, Julia practiced law with Torys LLP in Toronto and Hong Kong and built a business in Singapore before becoming CEO of CivicAction, Futurpreneur Canada and the Canada Children’s Literacy Foundation, Chair of Ontario’s Expert Roundtable on Immigration. She has been named to WXN’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women, a YWCA Toronto Woman of Distinction, and a Woman of Influence Canadian Diversity Champion, and received the Pearson Centre for Progressive Policy Leadership Award, the Goodman School of Business Distinguished Leader Award, and le Prix Hommage RelèveON 2020. Julia has her ICD.D, is a director of InvestEco Capital and the Canada Post Community Foundation and is an Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel in the Canadian Armed Forces.