Conference season is upon us!

The fall conference season is upon us, and we’re gearing up for a busy few weeks at some exciting events.

UBC Habitat Symposium

First up, on October 21^st and 22^nd, we’ll be at the UBC Habitat Symposium, where experts will explore and unpack four key themes: Adequate and Affordable Housing, Participatory Planning & Governance, Climate Risk & Resilience, and Enabling Innovation.

Co-operative Housing Federation of BC’s Fall Education Conference

On October 24^th, we’ll be at the CHF-BC Fall Education Conference. Here, our Mitacs intern Claire Dreyfuss, will host a workshop on aging in place in cooperative housing, while our Project Director, Michelle Hoar, will join a panel and discuss all things social connection, aging in place, and Hey Neighbour Collective.

Claire’s presentation overview

Experiences of Aging in Place for older adults in Metro Vancouver co-ops

What is aging in place? It is the desire to stay in one’s home for as long as possible. Today, 80% of Canadians over the age of 65 would like to age in place. However, for older adults this is not always feasible or safe. By 2050, the number of adults over the age of 65 will have risen by 50%. The confluence of our aging population and the need for both physical and social health support is a critical issue for all levels of government that must be addressed. Building more co-operative housing may be one supportive housing solution for dealing with this crisis.

The workshop will navigate the findings from the research project performed in partnership with CHF BC on how co-ops can support aging in place for older adults. Specifically, it will highlight the key insights of affordability, place-attachment and community, and the built environment for healthy aging in place. We would also like to highlight the importance of intergenerational knowledge sharing in and between co-ops and hope to have one of the participants speak to this.

This workshop is a knowledge mobilization and dissemination activity. The purpose of this workshop is multi-fold. It is to better inform more co-op members about aging in place (AIP). while hopefully also benefiting participants who are already AIP, are thinking about their future of AIP in co-ops or are working in the housing sector and have ideas on how to improve AIP in co-ops. It will be a platform to hear about our research but also to hear about others’ experiences.

Michelle’s panel

More information is coming soon!

Housing Central

Last but not least, from November 16^th – 18^th, our team will be at Housing Central! On Monday, November 16^th, we’ll join a panel moderated by BC’s Seniors Housing Advocate, Dan Levitt, alongside Jenny Konkin (Whole Way House), and Grant Haddock (Haddock and Company Lawyers). Together, we’ll explore best practices for aging in place in multi-unit housing. Then, on Tuesday, November 17^th, we’re teaming up with Entres Nous Femmes Housing Society, Brightside Community Homes Foundation, New Chelsea Society, and SFU Urban Studies to “Measure What Matters.” We’ll discuss the importance of administering resident surveys, and why they’re even better when we work together.

Learn more about our sessions, below.

Monday, November 16^th

More information is coming soon!

Tuesday, November 17^th

Measuring What Matters: Learnings from Resident Surveys

Three non-market housing operators share learnings from partnering with Hey Neighbour Collective and SFU Urban Studies to conduct regular resident surveys as part of their engagement and well-being initiatives. They reflect on the value of these surveys, highlighting how findings have informed and, in some cases, transformed organizational structures, leadership approaches, programming priorities, and landlord-tenant relationships.

Drawing on distinct approaches across organizations, the session highlights how resident surveys can strengthen communication, build trust, and support transparency. SFU research leads explain methodologies, processes, and key considerations behind this work, offering practical insights into conducting resident-centred research as a trusted third party.