June 24, 2025 • 36 mins
In this episode, we explore unique issues and solutions experienced specifically by individuals of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, as they have navigated/continue to navigate the housing system. We will listen to the lived experience of 2-Spirit and Transgender folks, highlighting the uniqueness of their stories and challenges. Finally, a housing site that will be operating with queer mandates, will be highlighted to discuss the factors that our guests have seen first-hand as positive considerations at sites that support 2-Spirit, Trans and Queer communities.
Guest host
Jennifer Breakspear, Associate Vice President, Service Delivery and Regional Operations, BC Housing
Guests:
Ryan De Bruyn, Resident Support Worker, McLaren Housing Society of BC
Sekani Dakelth, Indigenous Facilitator and Consultant, First Nations Health Authority and City of Vancouver
Samantha Dray, Technology Programs Coordinator, BC Housing
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
A home. It's something we all need.
(00:03):
But for too many, having a safe placeto make a home is out of reach.
The challenges can seem insurmountable.
And yet, each and every day,people are coming together
to provide safe, quality and affordablehousing for those in need.
Welcome to Let's Talk Housing.
I'm your host, Mita Naidu.
Join us as we listen toand learn from people in British Columbia
(00:26):
who are creating strong,inclusive communities
where everyone can thrive.
Hello there.
My name is Jennifer Breakspear,and I'm an Associate Vice President
with BC Housing, and I identify as a outqueer woman with pronouns
(00:50):
she/her.
Today on Let's TalkHousing, we're joined by a Ryan DeBruyn,
a non-binary individual who is a residentsupport worker at McLaren
Housing Society, as well as to Sekani Dakelth from the Dakelth Nation,
and a facilitator and consultantwith First Nations Health Authority
and the City of Vancouver.
We're also joined by BC Housing's own
(01:11):
very own technologyprograms coordinator, Samantha Dray.
They willall be sharing their personal stories
about how the 2SLGBTQIA+
community is impacted by housing access.
As we begin, I want to respectfullyacknowledge that we're recording
from the territories of the Musqueam,Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh nations.
(01:34):
And for transparency,this episode is being recorded in April
2025 and reflects the issuesand priorities of that time.
Welcome to Let's Talk Housing.
Welcome Sekani, Samantha and Ryan.
I'm glad to have you with us onLet's Talk Housing.
How about we start with you, Ryan?
Would you like to share your pronouns?
(01:55):
Introduce yourself to the audience as wellas tell us a bit about McLaren housing
and what role you and the organizationhave in the housing sector?
Of course, so my name is Ryan DeBruyn.
I use they/them pronouns.
I'm a resident support workerat McLaren Housing Society of BC.
McLaren HousingSociety is an organization that offers
(02:16):
supportive and subsidizedhousing for individuals living with HIV.
We currently right now have 110 unitsthat are supportive housing units,
and we have 31 units that are subsidized.
We also offer a portable subsidy program,which essentially offsets market rent.
(02:37):
My role is at the supportivehousing apartment building
as its residents support worker.
Essentially, I'm working on wellnessgoals,
working with folks
to keep their housing secure,maintain their housing.
I also see itas kind of like a bridge of sorts.
(02:58):
So people will come and meet with me
and then through that connection,I'm able to connect them
to outside services and supports.
And I spend a lot of my timecreating the programming
that we have at our supportivehousing location.
Thanks, Ryan. All very important work.
I'll turn to Samantha now and askif you'd like to share your pronouns,
(03:20):
a bit about yourself and tell uswhat you do here at BC Housing.
Yeah, definitely. Morning, everybody.
I identify with she/her pronouns,
a proudly out lesbian, and BC Housing....
Yeah, I'll try and keep it shortand sweet, but I help housing providers
that are partnered with BC Housing by anylevel of subsidy learn about technology.
(03:44):
There is a gap in digital
literacy andeasy tips and tricks.
When your main goals are to find peoplehousing,
using outlook to the best of your abilityis not your number one priority.
So we kind of help
by providing resources,training templates, with the help of the
(04:04):
VP of IMT, Mike Klein.
We do get hit in nonprofit with
phishing scams, malware, things like that.
So, yeah, just sort of an awarenessand resource for those nonprofit housing
providers.
Thanks Samantha, happy to have you with us.
And Sekani,would you like to share your pronouns?
(04:25):
Tell us a bit about your background,
as well as the work you've been involvedin regarding housing for the Two-Spirit
trans community?
Hi everyone.
My name is Sekani Dekelthand from the Dekelth nation,
like they mentioned.I go by she/her pronouns.
I am also a very proud trans woman.
I kind of more lean towardthe two-spirited
now I feel like that's more where I identifybetter with.
(04:49):
So currently, right now, I'm workingwith specifically around 2S housing.
My contract just ended,and I was working with a round table
that paired service providerswith community members
of the trans and gender diverseand two-spirited community.
And we talked abouttheir living experience around housing
(05:11):
and about service gaps and how service
providers and housing providerscan kind of meet those service gaps.
And then always consultingwith my own nation, I'm always showing up
at our board member meetingsand pressing for housing.
Like for everyone.I feel like a lot of people need housing.
I have a big family,so there's like ten of us,
(05:32):
there's ten of usthat live in this current house,
and I'm the only trans,two-spirited person in the house.
But I mean, like everybody, we all needhousing in this, in this place.
I feel like that's kind of a...a lot of people need housing.
I work with harm reductionand I facilitate workshops.
I facilitate a spacewhere facilitators get to talk about
how they're
(05:53):
talking about harm reduction
in their communities and wherewe can kind of support each other at.
But the roundtable is likewhere we talk about housing and it's
focused on trans and gender diverse,and two-spirited
with a huge representationfrom the two-spirited community.
And with that, I would imagine a number ofIndigenous folks from different nations.
(06:15):
Is that correct?
Yeah, actuallythe Indigenous people that are on
the roundtable, both on the serviceprovider end and on the
community consultantslevel are all from different nations.
Okay.
I would love to hear more about thatas we move
(06:37):
through, Sekani, particularly aroundsupporting two-spirited folks.
That's great.
Samantha, if I could turn to you now,
can you share a bit about your journeyof searching for safe and secure housing?
Yeah, definitely.
So for most of my time
here, living in the Lower Mainland and Vancovuer...I came from Calgary.
(06:58):
I was living with a partner.
So finding housing,you know, safe and secure...
It was not easy.
I've seen other friends have those issues.Finding housing with a partner
and having a conventionally looking
partnership was easy to find
(07:20):
the housing itself.
But maybe afterwards, which I will go
into later was a little more difficult.
Thanks for that.
I'd like to go to you next Sekani,
if you could,because I just want to pick up.
You were talking about so many peopleliving in your house, and
you're all in need of housing.
(07:41):
So can you tell us about that journeyfor safe and secure housing?
Where do I start?
I have a lot of experiencearound housing,
obviously, I feel like everybody kind of does.
My journey, searching for safe
and secure housing started,I guess, a long time ago.
I became homeless very young at 17air quote
(08:04):
I use this term loosely,but I made a choice to leave home.
And when I left home,I was taken care of by
a friend and couldn'tstay there anymore.
I ended up homeless.
Didn't really know what to do.
You know, at 18, I found that,I couldn't... they call it
(08:26):
a gray area to be in,and I couldn't really receive services
from either ministry from them,
CFD or from social assistancebecause I was 18.
I couldn't rent the placebecause of my age.
I did find some really amazing servicesin the Granville area.
There were youth shelters
(08:48):
that I was able to access,which is amazing.
I lived in an SRO for a while,and from there, my first ever place that
I felt like really understood mewas living in supportive housing.
And I lived in a supportive housingthat was very low barrier,
that had harm reduction suppliesat the front door, and it had support
(09:10):
staff at the front door.
And I actually felt like safe there.
And I felt like they understood me.
And I felt I can be as difficultand as wild as I want there.
And I felt like they took care of me.
And it was a nice place to be at.
And from that place, moved into a building.
(09:32):
It was a brand new building.It was called the Lux.
But it used to be an old theatre, I take it.
I think it used to be an old theateron Hastings, but it was an amazing space.
Like, again, felt safe, huge building,had tons of support, staff had groups.
I got a brand new littlebachelorette suite,
and it was just an amazing placeand then moved in with family.
(09:57):
Family, I feel like to me and to our nation,
like traditionallywe would be living with our whole clan
and we would be living with extendedfamily up to my great grandparents.
And we lived that waybecause we knew that as people age,
we need to take care of themand they need a little bit more support.
(10:18):
And right now, my parents are
getting to that stagethey're in their 70s,
and we definitely step upand we do whatever we can
and they do whatever they can too.They help rear the kids.
So it's safe. It's secure.
We feel good here.
We each have our own rooms.
We have a big back and front yard.
(10:40):
It's just like
the part that feels like thata bit precarious is probably the cost.
And then the
the longevity of us staying here.
And now I'd like to turn to you, Ryan,and ask if you would like to share
some of your journey aroundsafe and secure housing.
Yeah. So I think
safety and securityare often compromised by affordability.
(11:04):
And right now the competitionfor affordability is very high.
And so you also need to have these softskills of like networking
and communication skills to really be ableto seal in agreements with landlords,
which was not necessarily something thatpeople had to navigate five years ago.
(11:25):
So it's kind of this new requirement.
There's high competition.
And through that you're kind of dependenton what the landlord believes to be true.
I think right now, being gender diverse
is we're in a sticky situationpolitically.
A lot of our lives and
ways of being are beingpoliticized.
(11:50):
And so you're kind of left to
the whims of where somebody's biasesare. If you're not excelling
in all other kind of aspects ofwhat would be called a desirable tenant.
Yeah, I picked up on one thingyou said right at the beginning there,
Ryan, when you said safety and securityare often compromised by affordability.
(12:11):
I think you summed it up.
You kind of got the podcastright there, right?
For any of us to to feel safe and securein our housing,
it also has to be housingwe can afford.
And that is such a challenge.
Maybe I'll stay with you for now, Ryan.
And just ask...you've alluded to it, but
(12:34):
what sort of unique issues have you facedwhen navigating the housing system?
Yeah.
I mean, for me,I've been pretty fortunate.
I think the thingthat's the most struggle is just you...
within the budget that you have,
the compromisesthat you make don't necessarily bring
like security of tenure.
(12:55):
So you find yourself in situationsthat maybe aren't a full lease
or like kind of these backdoor deals or
you think you're renting,but you're subletting.
And so all of a suddenyou don't necessarily have the security
of a lease agreement, which can makeyour housing very precarious.
(13:16):
And get yourself into situations.
Now, the way to combatthat is to kind of know
your rights as a renter and as a tenant.
And I'm very thankfulthat I work in housing.
And so part of my jobhas given me a lot of opportunity
that benefits my own rentingand like navigating the housing system.
(13:38):
Sekani, if I can turn back to you,
you have talked about some of the issuesand one
you referenced being homeless at 17,which I wish I could say
is a more rare issue for for queerand trans and two-spirited individuals.
But unfortunately, it's far too commonwhen young, queer, trans, two-spirited
(13:59):
folks come out that they end up eitherchoosing to leave their home,
their family of origin,or are forced out and
I don't know if you want to speakto that specifically,
but I just wanted to make surethat we reference how unfortunately common
that is for young people in our community.
(14:20):
I guess, to put it like in a way that is...
even though it was my first timehomeless, it was my first time
actually finding my communityand actually feeling like I fit in,
which like, is both amazing...it was amazing for me socially.
But it was also really tragic because
(14:40):
a lot of the people that I did meetwere all young.
Some people were as young as 14.
Most of the people that I met,like on the Granville
Strip area,I can speak about at that time, 1999,
I don't know if it's changed much.
I don't talk to a lot of people,
(15:00):
and I don't work with a lot of peoplethat are currently on the street there.
But everybody was queer or on that
that spectrum of exploring their identity.
And all of my friends were Indigenous.
We didn't have...
there weren't very many options,
(15:21):
in 1999, 2000 for a trans,
Indigenous, homeless teenager,
there weren't very many options,that I could go to. Often
relying on leaningmore on my birth gender,
to access jobsor to access housing.
(15:42):
But, yeah, definitelyhaving to make some compromises,
I guess and I again, usethat term loosely because you know what?
You have to compromise.
I always found that the minutethat I started being proud
and identifying as a trans woman and
being two-spirited and saying it proudlyand not being...
not holding that part of myselfback, that it cost me so much
(16:07):
that I am not willing to go back there,
and to have to compromise
freedom is not somethingthat people should have to choose.
Absolutely, absolutely.
I mean, when you said therethat, you know, you said it
as a compromisingbut really denying who you are by leaning
(16:29):
back into the gender you were assignedat birth to be able to access opportunity.
I mean, that's that's soul-stifling.
I'm so sorry for that.
Are you kidding me? I learned so manyamazing, amazing skills from my life.
My heart is always... I've been working in
and around the Downtown Eastside since I was 30 years old.
(16:53):
So I'm 43 now.
So 13 years working in the community thatI say it’s my home and I say it’s where
I grew up. Workingthe community that raised me.
Thanks Sekani.
Samantha, if I can turn to youand I think you
said we might come back to this.
If you could tell us a bitabout kind of treatment, your experience
(17:14):
of being in a lesbian couplewhen you were dealing with,
I don't know, things
like maintenance and other issues in the private market housing.
And then what advantagesdid you notice in seeking housing
with a partner versusseeking housing as a single woman?
Yeah.
Definitely.
So the first part of that,I think is sort of, yeah....
(17:35):
During a tenancyand during the exiting of a tenancy,
being two females and
again, the way I present...but internally, like
I'm the one that unclogs
the sinks. I replace parts on my own car.
I cycle a lotand I try and, you know, like...
(17:57):
you know,my father had two daughters
and I was taught everything in the garage,you know, sort of thing.
But, you know,the assumption is I don't know anything.
So for
maintenance during tenancies, if there's something going on.
It was sort of the landlords
that we were renting from whichnow I'm thinking back are mostly all
(18:21):
male identifying and presenting.
But would sort of give different quotes
or sort of push aside
my extreme concerns or things like that.
And then, when leaving a tenancy
and trying to get that lovely securitydeposit back,
(18:41):
trying to sort of strongarm,oh, this is... you did this
and it's going to cost $500 to replaceand, you know, things like that.
And A) knowing my rights, I'm just that person.
At some point line
for line with the residential tenancy,just for my own...
(19:02):
You know, I think everyone, unfortunately,
should know that, even landlords should read it,
to know what they can't,push on to their tenants.
But, yeah, just knowing, my own rights
which,I mean, takes time and takes effort.
And it's a lot of reading.
It's a lot of... it'snot as accessible as maybe it should be.
(19:25):
For when you have those situationswhere assumptions
are made that I don't know anything, from housing.
I get that, like mechanics,I get that attitude, too,
you know, I don't know anything and stufflike that, that's more of the
the female presenting side of me.
But it's frustratingand sometimes can ruin that relationship
(19:48):
with a landlord when you're supposedto be getting another housing.
That depends on this opinionof the previous landlord.
So, you know,can kind of make a mess there.
But that's an experience,that time and time again living
as two female partners.
I'd like to move on to talk about the
The Burrard and Davie community projectand I'm just going to throw
(20:10):
in a personal little connection to this
because I was the executive directorof Qmunity for a number of years.
And in fact, was involvedin having the first conversations
with the city of Vancouver,which eventually a few executive directors
later and yearsgo by, has led to this exciting project.
So, it's a site in developmentthat will be operated with the queer mandate
(20:33):
and will be operated by McLarenHousing Society.
It's a larger housing sitethat will accommodate
multigenerational chosen families,which I just think is awesome.
So, Ryan, you're with McLaren.
Can you tell us more aboutwhat's meant there exactly about a queer mandate
and really why that's important?
I can, just to clarify, though,McLaren Housing
(20:56):
won't be running the full building, but
we have partnered with Community LandTrust,
who's going to be running that building.
We're going to be operatingand offering our services to the 31
allocated subsidized apartmentsthat will be there.
And so we have our own mandate
that is not as homogenous, right?
(21:18):
Like it is housingfolks who are living with HIV.
And so we will stick to our mandateand house folks living with HIV.
That being said, there is overlap.
Awesome, awesome.
So, Ryan, I wonder if you can sharehow you think having those
2SLGBTQ+ plus services right on sitewill benefit
(21:42):
both the residents in the building and nearby community?
Yeah.
I'm so excited to see it.
I feel like it is going to
inject that
area with community and belonging
in a way that just has kind ofbeen missing for a little bit.
It's so important for queer peopleto have access to queer tailored care.
(22:06):
The fact that Qmunityis going to be there
and they're going to be building up
these programs that are tailoredand geared towards queer people
is just life changing, because a lot of ushave to navigate systems
that weren't necessarily built for us,or they don't necessarily know
what is kind of like common behaviourin queer community.
(22:28):
So to have that tailored care reallyis the grounding stones
to build a communityback up in Davie Street.
Samantha, I'm going to shift gears here and ask if you'd like to talk
about the beneficial role that you seetechnology can play in the queer community
in relationto housing and community building?
With all of usbeing connected through the internet,
(22:51):
all these things,taking advantage of social media
can be a definitely huge part.
Certain groups you can go toto check if a neighbourhoods is safe.
If there is communitythere, pick a neighbourhood in Vancouver,
Mount Pleasant “queer” and search
and see if there's any private groups on various social media platforms.
(23:14):
Neighbourhood app.
You know, there's the neighbourhood app,which is...
you're connected to your postal codeand near you and things like that.
And just sort of honestly, just readingthrough comments, reading through,
you know, whatneighbours are concerned about,
or just taking a walk as well.
Maybe not technology related,but taking a walk in those neighbourhoods,
(23:36):
find out where they are,go hang out, see what flags
are up in the balconiesand stuff like that.
But yeah, social media platformscan be huge in that way.
Or, go old school Craigslist.
You know, check out some forms on thereand look at old Reddit.
I think that becausewe are connected, people like to talk.
(23:57):
I think after the pandemic,we're even more on the internet.
Having...
I cannot say conversations,but putting our opinions out there.
So having that, and just...
Yeah, like,if you are involved in a community thing,
with any ofthe queer community,
(24:17):
get those connections, network, LinkedIn,you know, these conversations.
I'd love to add you all on LinkedIn after,things like that, just staying
connected in that
social media space.
My wife and I moved to Vancouver 20years ago from Ontario and Quebec.
And, so that predateda lot of the social media stuff.
(24:41):
But there was this one resource we found,I think it was like a message board,
and it was called SuperDyke.
I don't know if SuperDyke stilloperates, but it was a very...
my memory is it was a very basic messageboard.
There'd be a subject, there'd be a post and then some comments.
But as new people to Vancouver,it was like,
this seems Vancouver-based.
(25:02):
This seems to be about our community.
We can ask questions of somebody.
So it was a resource
even in its very rudimentary earlysocial media type at times.
Sekani, again, shifting gears here,you referenced family and chosen family.
So I'm wondering,what role you've seen chosen family
(25:23):
play in creating an environmentin which folks can thrive?
Goodness, chosen family?
You know, a lot of, like mentioningabout homelessness and meeting
a lot of people that I identified withwhen I was growing up, a lot of us,
we're estranged from our communityand our families.
(25:43):
We didn't have a lot of family,so we would adopt each other.
And, there was kind of family systemon the street.
And you often had,we called it a street mother,
and that was somebody who wouldkind of take you under their wing
and kind of teach youhow to keep yourself safe
and how to navigate resourcesand services
(26:07):
and kind of show you,I guess, the ropes of
how to really maintain yourselfin the community.
They were so importantto like sharing about that safety
and that security and showing mewhere to get food, showing me
which is a good place to buy shoes,you know, a good place to shop
(26:31):
that's really accepting of of transand two-spirited people.
And, those things are really importantto me because I didn't like...
I didn’t want to shop at somewherethat didn’t want my business
because I wasn't going to be welcomed.
And I didn't have a lot of fight in meback then.
I didn't want to have to fight.
(26:51):
Fight to shop somewhere.
I wanted to get some shoes, I wanted adress, and I wanted to continue on.
And, you know, the chosen family was ableto show me those spaces.
And having them stay with me
and live with mepotentially is really important
because I understandhow hard it is for
one person to afford one space.
(27:14):
I feel like it'sa very precarious situation.
And having... a lot of places
have very tight ruleson what family means.
I know that, like in general,you're allowed to have family
stay with you for two weeks.
Or you’re allowedto have a guest for two weeks
and you can have a family memberstay with you longer.
And oftentimes thatdefinition of what a family member is,
(27:38):
is very confined and stringent,
and it doesn't account for my streetmom who actually raised me.
better than my...
I shouldn't say that because I lovemy mom and I live with my mom now.
And we have a good relationship now, you know?
But it wasn't always like that.
And my streetmom took such good care of me and means
so much to me.
(27:59):
Ryan, can you talk about how food,
creativity, hobbies and programs,
the amenities in a building can helpfoster a healthy community for
2SLGBTQIA+ people?
One of my favourite things to say isfood is community.
Nourishment is community.
And so when we're lookingat developing programming, we're looking at
(28:22):
what is nourishing not only the body, but
also our emotional body.
We're having increasing research come outthat says that isolation
and loneliness takes years off of lifeexpectancy.
And so,how do we create these programs
in a building that help kind of combatthat?
(28:44):
Knowing that it is, in fact, a social, cultural issue,
more than medical.
I find food opensthe pathways for connection.
It brings people in to have thoseconversations and makes those connections.
And then being able to create programmingwhere people contribute,
that startsto build belonging and community.
(29:06):
People need to contribute to itto feel part of it.
Sekani, what roledo you see those important elements
having in the building of a senseof family community for 2S trans folks?
Family, I feel like food,
food is such a big partof so many cultures.
And like, it's one of those thingsthat is actually a basic need,
(29:27):
and when you bring peopletogether with food...
My favourite place to gowould be a community kitchen.
And I loved itbecause I got to see all of the people
that lived in my community,and we got to cook together
and we got to share stories,and we got to identify with each other.
And when you were ableto look
(29:48):
at our neighbour and see the human in them,we're able
to really start having compassionand that really leads to empathy.
And just caring for oneanother is so important to a community
and to how healthy a community is.
And the program is just like the cherry on the
on the top of all that delicious goodness from the food.
(30:12):
I love the way you said that.
I can almost taste it.
That's great.
Well, we're coming close to wrapping up,
so I'd like to put a questionto each of you, if you can share
based on your own story and experiences,what gives you hope for the future?
And remember, we're talkingsort of with a housing emphasis.
What gives you hope for the future
(30:34):
for two-spirit, trans, non-binary and queerfolks?
Sekani, how about we go to you?
What gives me hope forfor the future of housing is
just continuing that engagement,expanding that engagement to,
to kind of have aninclude everybody conversation.
So having everyonewith a seat at the table
(30:55):
and earlierI mentioned big wigs, right?
We're going to put on our big wigs
and we're all going to sitat the table together and figure this out,
really focusing in on those conversations
around what it means to age in place
in the community, it's going to bereally important for the future.
Talking about, you know,we talk about building the community
(31:17):
and we talk about eating togetherand really tightening up that community.
But when somebody's ages, oftenthey have to, they're usually...
their optionis to leave, to leave all that work.
Ten years of of bonding
that we've all facilitated and created,
and now we're going to ask them to leave.
(31:39):
I think that is not an option.
I don't think that should be an option.
I think that,
when we look at planning for housing,that that's part of the conversation,
Can we modify an existing suite?
Right?
What does that look like for our end?
And what does that look likefor our engineers?
(31:59):
Or maybehaving our engineers at the table
put on their big wigs too, and comesit at the table
with us and talk aboutwhat does that look like for the future.
That's awesome.
And that engagement,it goes back to what
we so often would say at protests and rallies.
Nothing about us without us.
(32:20):
And there's a piecein what you're saying, Sekani, that I'm
going to come back to as I close out,but I want to go next to Samantha
and then give Ryan the last wordabout what you see
is the future,where are your hopes for the future?
Where do you see wins for our communityin regards to housing?
So over to you, Samantha.
(32:41):
Definitely.
You know what
gives me hopeand where I can see
is... I kind of echo what Sekani was saying.
Just staying engaged and
having those open conversations.
In my communityin Vancouver, things like that.
There's a lot of spacesthat shut down expansions and progression
(33:05):
of housing for anyone,let alone
any members of the2SLGBTQIA+ community.
And just...
Yeah, staying engaged.
It’s touchy subjects.
We can all get quite upset.
(33:25):
Lots of language is offensive.
Lots of assumptions are offensive,things like that.
But just staying engaged andopen minded and keep those conversations
at the forefront.
There's hugeintersectional issues that come with this...
Indigenous folks, queer,all of it that,
(33:47):
there's nothing, as Jennifer said,nothing should be for us without us.
You know, we should be involvedin these conversations.
Yeah.
And just making sure you know when you canand you feel safe,
advocating for thosewhose voices are normally shut down.
And that's something that, mepersonally, I do, and I hope that more
and more of thoseyou do have this visual advantage
(34:11):
sometimes do that.
I'm very loudand can get my point across.
And I feel safe to do that.
So I do that for those that
stand beside me and can't,because of their own safety.
Ryan, I'm going to give you the last wordon where you see hope for the future.
I think being able to kind of choosethe community that you live
(34:33):
in also fosters that community, instead ofjust being placed somewhere
because it was available.
And so that brings me a lot of excitementto just think that we would be able
to again, create communitiesthrough dignity of choice.
Our strength is in our diversity,
and I have hope in thechoices that are coming up.
(34:54):
Every time you walk out the
door,you see apartment buildings being made.
I mean, to me, this is hopeful.
We're visibly seeing growth,and it gives me hope that there's
going to be a choice of where we can live,where we can build community.
And I'm excited to see it.
If I can,
I want to throw in somewhere.
(35:15):
I see hope for our community's future.
Isn't the fact thatbecause we had to fight so hard
for so many things,we know how to get active?
We know how to organize.
We know how to engage with peopleand get our point across.
And dagnabbit,if we're going to have to do that
as we get older, we're going to do it
(35:36):
because you don't keepa bunch of old queers down.
Thanks everybody.
It's really been a joy to talkwith you today about housing and
the queer communities and challengesand opportunities for all of us.
Thank you so much for joining the showand being with us here
on Let's Talk Housing.
(35:57):
To learn
more about BC Housing,including how to apply for subsidized
housing in British Columbia, visit
www.bchousing.org.
You can also find uson Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.
If you enjoyed this episode,give us a rating.
This will help others find
Let's TalkHousing and join the conversation.
(36:19):
You can subscribe to Let's TalkHousing on Apple, Spotify
or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
A home. It's something we all need.
(00:03):
But for too many, having a safe placeto make a home is out of reach.
The challenges can seem insurmountable.
And yet, each and every day,people are coming together
to provide safe, quality and affordablehousing for those in need.
Welcome to Let's Talk Housing.
I'm your host, Mita Naidu.
Join us as we listen toand learn from people in British Columbia
(00:26):
who are creating strong,inclusive communities
where everyone can thrive.
Hello there.
My name is Jennifer Breakspear,and I'm an Associate Vice President
with BC Housing, and I identify as a outqueer woman with pronouns
(00:50):
she/her.
Today on Let's TalkHousing, we're joined by a Ryan DeBruyn,
a non-binary individual who is a residentsupport worker at McLaren
Housing Society, as well as to Sekani Dakelth from the Dakelth Nation,
and a facilitator and consultantwith First Nations Health Authority
and the City of Vancouver.
We're also joined by BC Housing's own
(01:11):
very own technologyprograms coordinator, Samantha Dray.
They willall be sharing their personal stories
about how the 2SLGBTQIA+
community is impacted by housing access.
As we begin, I want to respectfullyacknowledge that we're recording
from the territories of the Musqueam,Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh nations.
(01:34):
And for transparency,this episode is being recorded in April
2025 and reflects the issuesand priorities of that time.
Welcome to Let's Talk Housing.
Welcome Sekani, Samantha and Ryan.
I'm glad to have you with us onLet's Talk Housing.
How about we start with you, Ryan?
Would you like to share your pronouns?
(01:55):
Introduce yourself to the audience as wellas tell us a bit about McLaren housing
and what role you and the organizationhave in the housing sector?
Of course, so my name is Ryan DeBruyn.
I use they/them pronouns.
I'm a resident support workerat McLaren Housing Society of BC.
McLaren HousingSociety is an organization that offers
(02:16):
supportive and subsidizedhousing for individuals living with HIV.
We currently right now have 110 unitsthat are supportive housing units,
and we have 31 units that are subsidized.
We also offer a portable subsidy program,which essentially offsets market rent.
(02:37):
My role is at the supportivehousing apartment building
as its residents support worker.
Essentially, I'm working on wellnessgoals,
working with folks
to keep their housing secure,maintain their housing.
I also see itas kind of like a bridge of sorts.
(02:58):
So people will come and meet with me
and then through that connection,I'm able to connect them
to outside services and supports.
And I spend a lot of my timecreating the programming
that we have at our supportivehousing location.
Thanks, Ryan. All very important work.
I'll turn to Samantha now and askif you'd like to share your pronouns,
(03:20):
a bit about yourself and tell uswhat you do here at BC Housing.
Yeah, definitely. Morning, everybody.
I identify with she/her pronouns,
a proudly out lesbian, and BC Housing....
Yeah, I'll try and keep it shortand sweet, but I help housing providers
that are partnered with BC Housing by anylevel of subsidy learn about technology.
(03:44):
There is a gap in digital
literacy andeasy tips and tricks.
When your main goals are to find peoplehousing,
using outlook to the best of your abilityis not your number one priority.
So we kind of help
by providing resources,training templates, with the help of the
(04:04):
VP of IMT, Mike Klein.
We do get hit in nonprofit with
phishing scams, malware, things like that.
So, yeah, just sort of an awarenessand resource for those nonprofit housing
providers.
Thanks Samantha, happy to have you with us.
And Sekani,would you like to share your pronouns?
(04:25):
Tell us a bit about your background,
as well as the work you've been involvedin regarding housing for the Two-Spirit
trans community?
Hi everyone.
My name is Sekani Dekelthand from the Dekelth nation,
like they mentioned.I go by she/her pronouns.
I am also a very proud trans woman.
I kind of more lean towardthe two-spirited
now I feel like that's more where I identifybetter with.
(04:49):
So currently, right now, I'm workingwith specifically around 2S housing.
My contract just ended,and I was working with a round table
that paired service providerswith community members
of the trans and gender diverseand two-spirited community.
And we talked abouttheir living experience around housing
(05:11):
and about service gaps and how service
providers and housing providerscan kind of meet those service gaps.
And then always consultingwith my own nation, I'm always showing up
at our board member meetingsand pressing for housing.
Like for everyone.I feel like a lot of people need housing.
I have a big family,so there's like ten of us,
(05:32):
there's ten of usthat live in this current house,
and I'm the only trans,two-spirited person in the house.
But I mean, like everybody, we all needhousing in this, in this place.
I feel like that's kind of a...a lot of people need housing.
I work with harm reductionand I facilitate workshops.
I facilitate a spacewhere facilitators get to talk about
how they're
(05:53):
talking about harm reduction
in their communities and wherewe can kind of support each other at.
But the roundtable is likewhere we talk about housing and it's
focused on trans and gender diverse,and two-spirited
with a huge representationfrom the two-spirited community.
And with that, I would imagine a number ofIndigenous folks from different nations.
(06:15):
Is that correct?
Yeah, actuallythe Indigenous people that are on
the roundtable, both on the serviceprovider end and on the
community consultantslevel are all from different nations.
Okay.
I would love to hear more about thatas we move
(06:37):
through, Sekani, particularly aroundsupporting two-spirited folks.
That's great.
Samantha, if I could turn to you now,
can you share a bit about your journeyof searching for safe and secure housing?
Yeah, definitely.
So for most of my time
here, living in the Lower Mainland and Vancovuer...I came from Calgary.
(06:58):
I was living with a partner.
So finding housing,you know, safe and secure...
It was not easy.
I've seen other friends have those issues.Finding housing with a partner
and having a conventionally looking
partnership was easy to find
(07:20):
the housing itself.
But maybe afterwards, which I will go
into later was a little more difficult.
Thanks for that.
I'd like to go to you next Sekani,
if you could,because I just want to pick up.
You were talking about so many peopleliving in your house, and
you're all in need of housing.
(07:41):
So can you tell us about that journeyfor safe and secure housing?
Where do I start?
I have a lot of experiencearound housing,
obviously, I feel like everybody kind of does.
My journey, searching for safe
and secure housing started,I guess, a long time ago.
I became homeless very young at 17air quote
(08:04):
I use this term loosely,but I made a choice to leave home.
And when I left home,I was taken care of by
a friend and couldn'tstay there anymore.
I ended up homeless.
Didn't really know what to do.
You know, at 18, I found that,I couldn't... they call it
(08:26):
a gray area to be in,and I couldn't really receive services
from either ministry from them,
CFD or from social assistancebecause I was 18.
I couldn't rent the placebecause of my age.
I did find some really amazing servicesin the Granville area.
There were youth shelters
(08:48):
that I was able to access,which is amazing.
I lived in an SRO for a while,and from there, my first ever place that
I felt like really understood mewas living in supportive housing.
And I lived in a supportive housingthat was very low barrier,
that had harm reduction suppliesat the front door, and it had support
(09:10):
staff at the front door.
And I actually felt like safe there.
And I felt like they understood me.
And I felt I can be as difficultand as wild as I want there.
And I felt like they took care of me.
And it was a nice place to be at.
And from that place, moved into a building.
(09:32):
It was a brand new building.It was called the Lux.
But it used to be an old theatre, I take it.
I think it used to be an old theateron Hastings, but it was an amazing space.
Like, again, felt safe, huge building,had tons of support, staff had groups.
I got a brand new littlebachelorette suite,
and it was just an amazing placeand then moved in with family.
(09:57):
Family, I feel like to me and to our nation,
like traditionallywe would be living with our whole clan
and we would be living with extendedfamily up to my great grandparents.
And we lived that waybecause we knew that as people age,
we need to take care of themand they need a little bit more support.
(10:18):
And right now, my parents are
getting to that stagethey're in their 70s,
and we definitely step upand we do whatever we can
and they do whatever they can too.They help rear the kids.
So it's safe. It's secure.
We feel good here.
We each have our own rooms.
We have a big back and front yard.
(10:40):
It's just like
the part that feels like thata bit precarious is probably the cost.
And then the
the longevity of us staying here.
And now I'd like to turn to you, Ryan,and ask if you would like to share
some of your journey aroundsafe and secure housing.
Yeah. So I think
safety and securityare often compromised by affordability.
(11:04):
And right now the competitionfor affordability is very high.
And so you also need to have these softskills of like networking
and communication skills to really be ableto seal in agreements with landlords,
which was not necessarily something thatpeople had to navigate five years ago.
(11:25):
So it's kind of this new requirement.
There's high competition.
And through that you're kind of dependenton what the landlord believes to be true.
I think right now, being gender diverse
is we're in a sticky situationpolitically.
A lot of our lives and
ways of being are beingpoliticized.
(11:50):
And so you're kind of left to
the whims of where somebody's biasesare. If you're not excelling
in all other kind of aspects ofwhat would be called a desirable tenant.
Yeah, I picked up on one thingyou said right at the beginning there,
Ryan, when you said safety and securityare often compromised by affordability.
(12:11):
I think you summed it up.
You kind of got the podcastright there, right?
For any of us to to feel safe and securein our housing,
it also has to be housingwe can afford.
And that is such a challenge.
Maybe I'll stay with you for now, Ryan.
And just ask...you've alluded to it, but
(12:34):
what sort of unique issues have you facedwhen navigating the housing system?
Yeah.
I mean, for me,I've been pretty fortunate.
I think the thingthat's the most struggle is just you...
within the budget that you have,
the compromisesthat you make don't necessarily bring
like security of tenure.
(12:55):
So you find yourself in situationsthat maybe aren't a full lease
or like kind of these backdoor deals or
you think you're renting,but you're subletting.
And so all of a suddenyou don't necessarily have the security
of a lease agreement, which can makeyour housing very precarious.
(13:16):
And get yourself into situations.
Now, the way to combatthat is to kind of know
your rights as a renter and as a tenant.
And I'm very thankfulthat I work in housing.
And so part of my jobhas given me a lot of opportunity
that benefits my own rentingand like navigating the housing system.
(13:38):
Sekani, if I can turn back to you,
you have talked about some of the issuesand one
you referenced being homeless at 17,which I wish I could say
is a more rare issue for for queerand trans and two-spirited individuals.
But unfortunately, it's far too commonwhen young, queer, trans, two-spirited
(13:59):
folks come out that they end up eitherchoosing to leave their home,
their family of origin,or are forced out and
I don't know if you want to speakto that specifically,
but I just wanted to make surethat we reference how unfortunately common
that is for young people in our community.
(14:20):
I guess, to put it like in a way that is...
even though it was my first timehomeless, it was my first time
actually finding my communityand actually feeling like I fit in,
which like, is both amazing...it was amazing for me socially.
But it was also really tragic because
(14:40):
a lot of the people that I did meetwere all young.
Some people were as young as 14.
Most of the people that I met,like on the Granville
Strip area,I can speak about at that time, 1999,
I don't know if it's changed much.
I don't talk to a lot of people,
(15:00):
and I don't work with a lot of peoplethat are currently on the street there.
But everybody was queer or on that
that spectrum of exploring their identity.
And all of my friends were Indigenous.
We didn't have...
there weren't very many options,
(15:21):
in 1999, 2000 for a trans,
Indigenous, homeless teenager,
there weren't very many options,that I could go to. Often
relying on leaningmore on my birth gender,
to access jobsor to access housing.
(15:42):
But, yeah, definitelyhaving to make some compromises,
I guess and I again, usethat term loosely because you know what?
You have to compromise.
I always found that the minutethat I started being proud
and identifying as a trans woman and
being two-spirited and saying it proudlyand not being...
not holding that part of myselfback, that it cost me so much
(16:07):
that I am not willing to go back there,
and to have to compromise
freedom is not somethingthat people should have to choose.
Absolutely, absolutely.
I mean, when you said therethat, you know, you said it
as a compromisingbut really denying who you are by leaning
(16:29):
back into the gender you were assignedat birth to be able to access opportunity.
I mean, that's that's soul-stifling.
I'm so sorry for that.
Are you kidding me? I learned so manyamazing, amazing skills from my life.
My heart is always... I've been working in
and around the Downtown Eastside since I was 30 years old.
(16:53):
So I'm 43 now.
So 13 years working in the community thatI say it’s my home and I say it’s where
I grew up. Workingthe community that raised me.
Thanks Sekani.
Samantha, if I can turn to youand I think you
said we might come back to this.
If you could tell us a bitabout kind of treatment, your experience
(17:14):
of being in a lesbian couplewhen you were dealing with,
I don't know, things
like maintenance and other issues in the private market housing.
And then what advantagesdid you notice in seeking housing
with a partner versusseeking housing as a single woman?
Yeah.
Definitely.
So the first part of that,I think is sort of, yeah....
(17:35):
During a tenancyand during the exiting of a tenancy,
being two females and
again, the way I present...but internally, like
I'm the one that unclogs
the sinks. I replace parts on my own car.
I cycle a lotand I try and, you know, like...
(17:57):
you know,my father had two daughters
and I was taught everything in the garage,you know, sort of thing.
But, you know,the assumption is I don't know anything.
So for
maintenance during tenancies, if there's something going on.
It was sort of the landlords
that we were renting from whichnow I'm thinking back are mostly all
(18:21):
male identifying and presenting.
But would sort of give different quotes
or sort of push aside
my extreme concerns or things like that.
And then, when leaving a tenancy
and trying to get that lovely securitydeposit back,
(18:41):
trying to sort of strongarm,oh, this is... you did this
and it's going to cost $500 to replaceand, you know, things like that.
And A) knowing my rights, I'm just that person.
At some point line
for line with the residential tenancy,just for my own...
(19:02):
You know, I think everyone, unfortunately,
should know that, even landlords should read it,
to know what they can't,push on to their tenants.
But, yeah, just knowing, my own rights
which,I mean, takes time and takes effort.
And it's a lot of reading.
It's a lot of... it'snot as accessible as maybe it should be.
(19:25):
For when you have those situationswhere assumptions
are made that I don't know anything, from housing.
I get that, like mechanics,I get that attitude, too,
you know, I don't know anything and stufflike that, that's more of the
the female presenting side of me.
But it's frustratingand sometimes can ruin that relationship
(19:48):
with a landlord when you're supposedto be getting another housing.
That depends on this opinionof the previous landlord.
So, you know,can kind of make a mess there.
But that's an experience,that time and time again living
as two female partners.
I'd like to move on to talk about the
The Burrard and Davie community projectand I'm just going to throw
(20:10):
in a personal little connection to this
because I was the executive directorof Qmunity for a number of years.
And in fact, was involvedin having the first conversations
with the city of Vancouver,which eventually a few executive directors
later and yearsgo by, has led to this exciting project.
So, it's a site in developmentthat will be operated with the queer mandate
(20:33):
and will be operated by McLarenHousing Society.
It's a larger housing sitethat will accommodate
multigenerational chosen families,which I just think is awesome.
So, Ryan, you're with McLaren.
Can you tell us more aboutwhat's meant there exactly about a queer mandate
and really why that's important?
I can, just to clarify, though,McLaren Housing
(20:56):
won't be running the full building, but
we have partnered with Community LandTrust,
who's going to be running that building.
We're going to be operatingand offering our services to the 31
allocated subsidized apartmentsthat will be there.
And so we have our own mandate
that is not as homogenous, right?
(21:18):
Like it is housingfolks who are living with HIV.
And so we will stick to our mandateand house folks living with HIV.
That being said, there is overlap.
Awesome, awesome.
So, Ryan, I wonder if you can sharehow you think having those
2SLGBTQ+ plus services right on sitewill benefit
(21:42):
both the residents in the building and nearby community?
Yeah.
I'm so excited to see it.
I feel like it is going to
inject that
area with community and belonging
in a way that just has kind ofbeen missing for a little bit.
It's so important for queer peopleto have access to queer tailored care.
(22:06):
The fact that Qmunityis going to be there
and they're going to be building up
these programs that are tailoredand geared towards queer people
is just life changing, because a lot of ushave to navigate systems
that weren't necessarily built for us,or they don't necessarily know
what is kind of like common behaviourin queer community.
(22:28):
So to have that tailored care reallyis the grounding stones
to build a communityback up in Davie Street.
Samantha, I'm going to shift gears here and ask if you'd like to talk
about the beneficial role that you seetechnology can play in the queer community
in relationto housing and community building?
With all of usbeing connected through the internet,
(22:51):
all these things,taking advantage of social media
can be a definitely huge part.
Certain groups you can go toto check if a neighbourhoods is safe.
If there is communitythere, pick a neighbourhood in Vancouver,
Mount Pleasant “queer” and search
and see if there's any private groups on various social media platforms.
(23:14):
Neighbourhood app.
You know, there's the neighbourhood app,which is...
you're connected to your postal codeand near you and things like that.
And just sort of honestly, just readingthrough comments, reading through,
you know, whatneighbours are concerned about,
or just taking a walk as well.
Maybe not technology related,but taking a walk in those neighbourhoods,
(23:36):
find out where they are,go hang out, see what flags
are up in the balconiesand stuff like that.
But yeah, social media platformscan be huge in that way.
Or, go old school Craigslist.
You know, check out some forms on thereand look at old Reddit.
I think that becausewe are connected, people like to talk.
(23:57):
I think after the pandemic,we're even more on the internet.
Having...
I cannot say conversations,but putting our opinions out there.
So having that, and just...
Yeah, like,if you are involved in a community thing,
with any ofthe queer community,
(24:17):
get those connections, network, LinkedIn,you know, these conversations.
I'd love to add you all on LinkedIn after,things like that, just staying
connected in that
social media space.
My wife and I moved to Vancouver 20years ago from Ontario and Quebec.
And, so that predateda lot of the social media stuff.
(24:41):
But there was this one resource we found,I think it was like a message board,
and it was called SuperDyke.
I don't know if SuperDyke stilloperates, but it was a very...
my memory is it was a very basic messageboard.
There'd be a subject, there'd be a post and then some comments.
But as new people to Vancouver,it was like,
this seems Vancouver-based.
(25:02):
This seems to be about our community.
We can ask questions of somebody.
So it was a resource
even in its very rudimentary earlysocial media type at times.
Sekani, again, shifting gears here,you referenced family and chosen family.
So I'm wondering,what role you've seen chosen family
(25:23):
play in creating an environmentin which folks can thrive?
Goodness, chosen family?
You know, a lot of, like mentioningabout homelessness and meeting
a lot of people that I identified withwhen I was growing up, a lot of us,
we're estranged from our communityand our families.
(25:43):
We didn't have a lot of family,so we would adopt each other.
And, there was kind of family systemon the street.
And you often had,we called it a street mother,
and that was somebody who wouldkind of take you under their wing
and kind of teach youhow to keep yourself safe
and how to navigate resourcesand services
(26:07):
and kind of show you,I guess, the ropes of
how to really maintain yourselfin the community.
They were so importantto like sharing about that safety
and that security and showing mewhere to get food, showing me
which is a good place to buy shoes,you know, a good place to shop
(26:31):
that's really accepting of of transand two-spirited people.
And, those things are really importantto me because I didn't like...
I didn’t want to shop at somewherethat didn’t want my business
because I wasn't going to be welcomed.
And I didn't have a lot of fight in meback then.
I didn't want to have to fight.
(26:51):
Fight to shop somewhere.
I wanted to get some shoes, I wanted adress, and I wanted to continue on.
And, you know, the chosen family was ableto show me those spaces.
And having them stay with me
and live with mepotentially is really important
because I understandhow hard it is for
one person to afford one space.
(27:14):
I feel like it'sa very precarious situation.
And having... a lot of places
have very tight ruleson what family means.
I know that, like in general,you're allowed to have family
stay with you for two weeks.
Or you’re allowedto have a guest for two weeks
and you can have a family memberstay with you longer.
And oftentimes thatdefinition of what a family member is,
(27:38):
is very confined and stringent,
and it doesn't account for my streetmom who actually raised me.
better than my...
I shouldn't say that because I lovemy mom and I live with my mom now.
And we have a good relationship now, you know?
But it wasn't always like that.
And my streetmom took such good care of me and means
so much to me.
(27:59):
Ryan, can you talk about how food,
creativity, hobbies and programs,
the amenities in a building can helpfoster a healthy community for
2SLGBTQIA+ people?
One of my favourite things to say isfood is community.
Nourishment is community.
And so when we're lookingat developing programming, we're looking at
(28:22):
what is nourishing not only the body, but
also our emotional body.
We're having increasing research come outthat says that isolation
and loneliness takes years off of lifeexpectancy.
And so,how do we create these programs
in a building that help kind of combatthat?
(28:44):
Knowing that it is, in fact, a social, cultural issue,
more than medical.
I find food opensthe pathways for connection.
It brings people in to have thoseconversations and makes those connections.
And then being able to create programmingwhere people contribute,
that startsto build belonging and community.
(29:06):
People need to contribute to itto feel part of it.
Sekani, what roledo you see those important elements
having in the building of a senseof family community for 2S trans folks?
Family, I feel like food,
food is such a big partof so many cultures.
And like, it's one of those thingsthat is actually a basic need,
(29:27):
and when you bring peopletogether with food...
My favourite place to gowould be a community kitchen.
And I loved itbecause I got to see all of the people
that lived in my community,and we got to cook together
and we got to share stories,and we got to identify with each other.
And when you were ableto look
(29:48):
at our neighbour and see the human in them,we're able
to really start having compassionand that really leads to empathy.
And just caring for oneanother is so important to a community
and to how healthy a community is.
And the program is just like the cherry on the
on the top of all that delicious goodness from the food.
(30:12):
I love the way you said that.
I can almost taste it.
That's great.
Well, we're coming close to wrapping up,
so I'd like to put a questionto each of you, if you can share
based on your own story and experiences,what gives you hope for the future?
And remember, we're talkingsort of with a housing emphasis.
What gives you hope for the future
(30:34):
for two-spirit, trans, non-binary and queerfolks?
Sekani, how about we go to you?
What gives me hope forfor the future of housing is
just continuing that engagement,expanding that engagement to,
to kind of have aninclude everybody conversation.
So having everyonewith a seat at the table
(30:55):
and earlierI mentioned big wigs, right?
We're going to put on our big wigs
and we're all going to sitat the table together and figure this out,
really focusing in on those conversations
around what it means to age in place
in the community, it's going to bereally important for the future.
Talking about, you know,we talk about building the community
(31:17):
and we talk about eating togetherand really tightening up that community.
But when somebody's ages, oftenthey have to, they're usually...
their optionis to leave, to leave all that work.
Ten years of of bonding
that we've all facilitated and created,
and now we're going to ask them to leave.
(31:39):
I think that is not an option.
I don't think that should be an option.
I think that,
when we look at planning for housing,that that's part of the conversation,
Can we modify an existing suite?
Right?
What does that look like for our end?
And what does that look likefor our engineers?
(31:59):
Or maybehaving our engineers at the table
put on their big wigs too, and comesit at the table
with us and talk aboutwhat does that look like for the future.
That's awesome.
And that engagement,it goes back to what
we so often would say at protests and rallies.
Nothing about us without us.
(32:20):
And there's a piecein what you're saying, Sekani, that I'm
going to come back to as I close out,but I want to go next to Samantha
and then give Ryan the last wordabout what you see
is the future,where are your hopes for the future?
Where do you see wins for our communityin regards to housing?
So over to you, Samantha.
(32:41):
Definitely.
You know what
gives me hopeand where I can see
is... I kind of echo what Sekani was saying.
Just staying engaged and
having those open conversations.
In my communityin Vancouver, things like that.
There's a lot of spacesthat shut down expansions and progression
(33:05):
of housing for anyone,let alone
any members of the2SLGBTQIA+ community.
And just...
Yeah, staying engaged.
It’s touchy subjects.
We can all get quite upset.
(33:25):
Lots of language is offensive.
Lots of assumptions are offensive,things like that.
But just staying engaged andopen minded and keep those conversations
at the forefront.
There's hugeintersectional issues that come with this...
Indigenous folks, queer,all of it that,
(33:47):
there's nothing, as Jennifer said,nothing should be for us without us.
You know, we should be involvedin these conversations.
Yeah.
And just making sure you know when you canand you feel safe,
advocating for thosewhose voices are normally shut down.
And that's something that, mepersonally, I do, and I hope that more
and more of thoseyou do have this visual advantage
(34:11):
sometimes do that.
I'm very loudand can get my point across.
And I feel safe to do that.
So I do that for those that
stand beside me and can't,because of their own safety.
Ryan, I'm going to give you the last wordon where you see hope for the future.
I think being able to kind of choosethe community that you live
(34:33):
in also fosters that community, instead ofjust being placed somewhere
because it was available.
And so that brings me a lot of excitementto just think that we would be able
to again, create communitiesthrough dignity of choice.
Our strength is in our diversity,
and I have hope in thechoices that are coming up.
(34:54):
Every time you walk out the
door,you see apartment buildings being made.
I mean, to me, this is hopeful.
We're visibly seeing growth,and it gives me hope that there's
going to be a choice of where we can live,where we can build community.
And I'm excited to see it.
If I can,
I want to throw in somewhere.
(35:15):
I see hope for our community's future.
Isn't the fact thatbecause we had to fight so hard
for so many things,we know how to get active?
We know how to organize.
We know how to engage with peopleand get our point across.
And dagnabbit,if we're going to have to do that
as we get older, we're going to do it
(35:36):
because you don't keepa bunch of old queers down.
Thanks everybody.
It's really been a joy to talkwith you today about housing and
the queer communities and challengesand opportunities for all of us.
Thank you so much for joining the showand being with us here
on Let's Talk Housing.
(35:57):
To learn
more about BC Housing,including how to apply for subsidized
housing in British Columbia, visit
www.bchousing.org.
You can also find uson Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.
If you enjoyed this episode,give us a rating.
This will help others find
Let's TalkHousing and join the conversation.
(36:19):
You can subscribe to Let's TalkHousing on Apple, Spotify
or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Popular Podcasts
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.