Vital Signs: Housing in the Bow Valley
Bow Valley Vital Signs is the BCF program that raises awareness about the priorities and aspirations, challenges and opportunities that define community vitality in this unique place. Through an iterative cycle of discovery, analysis, and reporting, Bow Valley Vital Signs sheds light on the factors and system-level dynamics that shape quality of life for local people. Our goal is to share knowledge and stories to inform and activate high-impact philanthropy and creative action for community.
BCF's Erin Woods is the project lead for Bow Valley Vital Signs. She gave us a sneek-peak at the program's first report which will focus on Housing in the Bow Valley.
Why Start with Housing?
"The need for affordable housing is apparent not just in the Bow Valley and Alberta more
broadly, but indeed, nation-wide," Erin Woods says. "And it is clear that the solution(s!) will need to come from multiple players and partners, working at multiple scales within and across the broader housing ecosystem."
Over the last two years, Banff Canmore Foundation has been learning about the Bow Valley housing system and probing for ways to shift the dynamics in favour of community vitality and sustainability.
Housing insecurity and accessibility are significant contributing factors in so many other elements that either support or degrade individual and community thriving - mental health, carbon footprint of commuters, success of business sectors, to name a few.
Through Bow Valley Vital Signs, Woods and a group of community leaders (see below) began to investigate what data exists that helps to describe the state of housing in the Bow Valley and the systems and dynamics that underlay it.
"What we're essentially asking is who are the key players already intervening in the system, what are they doing and what gaps remain?," Woods says.
Researching New Pathways
Earlier this year, BCF’s Housing and Affordability Working Group began to research and examine successful models which address the housing affordability issue in comparable, predominantly tourist-driven communities and destinations.
In particular - and unlike other, similar projects in the region - this research explores programs which are not government-led nor large employer-driven, focusing instead on multi-stakeholder initiatives and those supported by the social sector, foundations, charities and the like.
Data analysis for this project will include housing market trends, affordability indices, relevant ratios and demographic shifts to provide a nuanced understanding of the regional housing landscape from sources such as Statistics Canada, citizen perspective surveys from the Town of Banff, Town of Canmore, Banff Lake Louise Tourism visioning exercises, and the like. Such analysis will contribute to a compelling narrative and visually-rich report that effectively communicates key findings.
Our curiosity is in this broader need for 'community' or 'worker' housing, and how philanthropy in general, and the Foundation specifically, might participate and contribute.
- Erin Woods
Who is involved?
In the summer of 2023, BCF struck a Housing and Affordability Working Group, comprised of existing BCF Board and Committee members and staff with related knowledge and experience, to help explore and guide us in playing the role the Foundation can uniquely play in addressing this complex issue.
The Housing and Affordability Working Group is drawing upon existing research to avoid 'survey fatigue' and take advantage of our partners' good work.
"We all know this is a critical issue, so the Working Group hopes to share a thorough and comprehensive landscape of what's currently being done and offer possible solutions," Woods says.
The group members are:
- Project Lead Erin Woods
- BCF Board Chair Fiona Jones
- Ian O'Donnell
- Lindsey Vivers
- Michelle Ouellette
- Cathy Geisler
- Laurie Edward, BCF Executive Director
What to expect
The Housing Affordability Working Group's Vital Signs report will be a comprehensive digital report released this spring. This report is a moment-in-time document with a unique valley-wide approach in line with BCF's purpose.
It's part of a broader Bow Valley Vital Signs reporting program which investigates issues central to our community and shares knowledge broadly across the region. You can expect to see a series of Bow Valley Vital Signs reports touching on key community priorities released this year.
See BCF Community Priorities here.
