Frequently asked questions

The City of Vancouver is developing a Seniors Housing Strategy to better understand and meet the housing needs of seniors, Elders and older adults aged 55+ in Vancouver. This work aims to create actionable policies and identify future work to improve housing for the growing seniors’ population in a way that considers the diverse health, income and cultural needs of the aging population. 

The project will include significant engagement with the community, including seniors and older adults, their families and caregivers, senior advocacy and community groups, and non-profit and for-profit development organizations. The Seniors Housing Strategy will be developed following engagement and is anticipated to be presented to Council in mid-2024. The Seniors Housing Strategy will include:  

• an exploration of innovative housing solutions specific to seniors
• an inventory of existing housing options and gaps
• updated design guidelines for senior-focused housing
• a rezoning and resident relocation policy
• increased partnerships with senior-serving organizations
• advocacy to and improved collaboration with government partners, and
• other immediate actions and policies identifying future City-led work 

As baby boomers age, seniors have become the fastest growing age demographic in Vancouver and across the region. Seniors and older adults aged 55+ have a variety of housing needs and will require different strategies and policy responses. 

About 70% of adults aged 65+ are homeowners, and nearly 75% of those homeowners no longer have a mortgage. Renter households experience greater affordability challenges and insecurity. Seniors aged 55+ are overrepresented on the social housing registry and waitlist, showing a need for more social housing and better supports for seniors renting in the market. There is also a growing number of seniors aged 55+ experiencing homelessness and a large number of seniors living in inadequate housing, including Single Room Occupancy (SRO) Hotels. For more information, please see the Seniors Housing Strategy Background & Trends document.

Seniors and older adults aged 55+ live in many types of housing and their needs change as they age. As we develop the Seniors Housing Strategy, we want to understand seniors housing needs across tenures (e.g. renter, owner) and types of housing, with a specific emphasis on seniors-focused housing and residences. This includes:

• seniors supportive housing;
• seniors social and non-profit co-op housing;
• supports for seniors renting in the market;
• long-term care; and
• assisted living.

This diagram is a seniors housing continuum, which shows the different types and tenures of housing seniors may live in. The level of supports received increases as you move to the right of the continuum.

After the first phase of public and stakeholder engagement, an engagement summary detailing the key findings will be shared on the Seniors Housing Strategy Shape Your City page. The engagement findings will help inform policy development in the summer and fall of 2023. The draft strategy, detailing proposed policies and actions, will be released in early 2024 for additional public and stakeholder input. The revised and final strategy will be presented to Council in mid-2024. If approved, some actions will take effect immediately, while others will be implemented over time in partnership with other organizations and levels of government.

The Age-Friendly Action Plan presented to Council in 2013 was a series of more than 60 actions that the City undertook to make Vancouver a safer, more accessible, and engaging place for seniors. This work was based on consultations with Vancouver seniors, caregivers, and seniors’ organizations through the 2012 Seniors Dialogues Project, including work focused on seniors experiencing dementia with partners such as the BC Alzheimer’s’ Society. The Age-Friendly Action Plan informed priorities in the broader Healthy City Strategy and its guiding principles: improving health and well-being for all and addressing inequities across the age course. Related work since the Age-Friendly Action Plan was completed include the Social Isolation and Loneliness Among Seniors (SILAS) report published in 2018 and the Age-Friendly Solutions Lab in 2019.

On December 7, 2022, Vancouver City Council passed a motion to review Vancouver's Age-Friendly Action Plan and explore alignment with global frameworks such as the World Health Organization (WHO)'s Age-Friendly Cities Framework. In response to this motion, City staff consulted with selected partners and stakeholders and anticipate reporting back to City Council in spring 2023. This work will inform future updates of the broader health, social sustainability, and age-friendly policy strategy work across the city.

The first phase of the City’s Accessibility Strategy: Transforming Attitudes, Embedding Change was approved by Council on July 19^th 2022. It outlined key definitions, principles, and areas of focus, identifies what needs to be done and plans of how it will get done. Phase 2 of the Accessibility Strategy is underway with a planned broader engagement, as well as the development of an Accessibility Committee and a public feedback mechanism as mandated by the BC Accessibility Legislation. Staff are aiming to bring Phase 2 of the Strategy to Council in early 2024. For more information, please visit https://vancouver.ca/people-programs/accessibility-strategy.aspx. 

The City’s Accessibility Strategy and other policies such as Equity Framework, City of Reconciliation, Spaces to Thrive: Vancouver Social Infrastructure Strategy, and Vancouver Plan, support older adults by taking into consideration the multiple identities that intersect to make us who we are, and how experiences differ depending on factors such as age. Recognizing the interconnected nature of seniors’ issues, the staff team leading the Seniors Housing Strategy will work across departments to ensure feedback received is shared and directed to the appropriate staff teams leading related work. This includes the Accessibility Strategy and broader age-friendly work, among others.