The Province of British Columbia is the first province to introduce subsidized assisted living for seniors, through the Independent Living BC program.

Since 2002, Independent Living BC has been offering a middle option to bridge the gap between home care and residential care for those who need some assistance, but don’t want or need 24-hour professional nursing care. Independent Living BC provides:

Accommodation
Hospitality services such as meals, housekeeping, laundry, recreational opportunities and 24-hour response
Personal care services such as assistance with grooming, mobility and medications

Through Housing Matters BC, the Province of British Columbia has created more than 4,300 affordable assisted living apartments for seniors and people with disabilities.

Program Partnerships
BC Housing delivers the program in partnership with the federal government through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, regional health authorities, non-profit and private housing providers. People who qualify for ILBC pay 70% of net income. BC Housing and regional health authorities provide subsidies for housing and hospitality services and regional health authorities fund personal care services.

New builds and conversions were funded through a partnership with the federal government through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), as part of phase one of the Canada-BC Affordable Housing Agreement.

For more information:

Office of the Assisted Living Registrar
Independently Healthy Seniors' Supplement: BC Housing is proud to partner with the Vancouver Sun to present a special insert Independently Healthy in their Seniors' Living section. This supplement provides seniors and their families with information on a variety of housing and care options. To download a copy please click here [2.25 MB] - this may take a few minutes.