COVID-19

The BC Centre for Disease Control along with local health authorities continue to monitor the current situation with COVID-19 (Coronavirus).

illustration for COVID-19 virus

How BC Housing has helped British Columbians during the COVID-19 pandemic

BC Housing is working with the Province of BC, BC's health authorities, the BC Centre for Disease Control, the Public Health Agency of Canada, and other partners to monitor COVID-19.

Here are some highlights of the work that BC Housing staff and partners have successfully implemented:

	BC Temporary Rental Supplement program (April - August 2020)
Developed a new BC Temporary Rental Supplement (BCTRS) program, and received and processed supplements for more than 98,800 households More than 87,000 households were eligible and received the rental supplement More than 370,000 rent payments made
	Community supports for people experiencing homelessness
600+ people relocated from tented parks into safe, stable accommodation - Province secures safe shelter, supports for people living in major encampments 119 sites and more than 2900 safe self-isolation spaces made available for people experiencing homelessness - Community Self-Isolation Sites & Shelter Expansions
	Supporting housing providers and BC Housing tenants
Created COVID-19 safety processes for buildings operated by non-profit housing providers, shelters and other temporary housing Kept non-profit service providers going with payments for staffing and other operating costs Streamlined PPE, office and cleaning supply inventories by developing a one-stop station for buying, shipping and getting supplies needed by frontline providers 840,000+ essential supplies delivered including personal protective equipment (PPE) Thousand of hand-sewn masks for people living in social housing
	Supporting BC Housing staff and visitors
Educated employees by launching an employee Covid-19 educational intranet site Closed offices and moved more than 350 BC Housing staff to remote online service delivery: Closing some in-person services Distributed COVID-19 safety posters to all BC Housing-managed buildings and offices
	How we are supporting our BC Housing tenants?
Supports and resources for Housing Providers Temporary rent adjustment for Rent-Geared-to-Income tenants Started a rent abatement program for subsidized BC Housing tenants, and worked with the Residential Tenancy Branch of BC to create policies to help other renters 200,000+ meals delivered to people in social housing Closed public offices, where possible, moved service delivery online Temporary eviction ban for non-payment of rent in BC Housing-funded buildings

Resources and support for Community Housing and Homelessness Service Providers

We recognize that our homelessness and transitional housing service providers serve some of the most vulnerable people in our communities. These communities have higher rates of health concerns and may be at greater risk if exposed to the virus.

Refer to the BC Housing Sector Covid-19 Operations Manual for more information including:

Resources and Planning (page 3)
Site Procedures (pages 7-14)
- Tenant Communication (page 8)
- Site Cleaning Procedures (page 9)
- Protective Gear and Homemade Masks (pages 12-13)
Tenant Procedures (pages 14-20)
- Management of Tenants or Shelter Guests with Suspected Covid-19 (page 16)
- Quarantine Considerations - Homelessness Service Providers (page 17)
- Rent Adjustment Procedures (page 19)
  - Government acting to protect province's most vulnerable during COVID-19 crisis
Residential Tenancy Branch (RTB) Moratorium on Rent Increases (page 16)
- https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/residential-tenancies/covid-19
Temporary Rental Supplement Program - Private Market Inquiries (page 23)
- Supporting renters, landlords during COVID-19
Supplies and Support (pages 25-27)
- Online Housing Partner Contact Form
BC Housing Covid-19 Resources
- Covid-19 Resources

COVID-19

How BC Housing has helped British Columbians during the COVID-19 pandemic

BC Temporary Rental Supplement program (April - August 2020)

Community supports for people experiencing homelessness

Supporting housing providers and BC Housing tenants

Supporting BC Housing staff and visitors

How we are supporting our BC Housing tenants?

Resources and support for Community Housing and Homelessness Service Providers

Covid-19: Operations Manual

BC COVID-19 info

Regional & Provincial Health Sites