BC Housing is receiving accolades south of the border for its rapid modular housing program that provides shelter and support services for the homeless.
Ivory Innovations, an applied academic institution based at the University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business, named the provincial government agency among 25 finalists for its 2022 Ivory Prize for Housing Affordability on Wednesday.
BC Housing is the first Canadian finalist for the Ivory Prize, now in its fourth year, which recognizes housing affordability initiatives across three categories: construction and design, finance, and public policy and regulatory reform.
Selected from 170 nominations, the finalists demonstrated “ambitious, feasible, and scalable solutions to housing affordability.”
Nominated in the public policy and regulatory reform category, which highlights innovations that are addressing homelessness and eviction prevention, BC Housing was recognized for its rapid modular supportive housing program.
“These innovators are creating tangible solutions to the challenge of housing affordability, which has likely never been greater,” said Jenna Louie, director of operations and strategy for Ivory Innovations, in a press release.
BC Housing began testing modular construction methods in 2006 and found that housing partially built in a plant and shipped to a development site took half as long as stick-built construction.
The B.C. government announced its Rapid Response to Homelessness program in 2017, committing $291 million to build 2,000 modular supportive housing units for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. An additional $170 million was committed to provide staffing and support services for residents.
As part of the program, all modular housing buildings in the province feature around-the-clock staffing to help support residents. The program has been replicated across the country, providing additional housing option to help prevent homelessness.
The top 10 finalists for the Ivory Prize will be released in April and winners will be announced in May. More than $200,000 in prize money will be distributed between at least three winners selected across the three award categories.
As a nominee, BC Housing will be invited to join the Ivory Innovations Council, which includes 75 housing innovators from across North America.
“We’re excited to highlight and invite this year’s finalists to join the Ivory Innovations ecosystem to increase our overall impact on supporting the solutions that impact housing affordability,” said Louie.
