Brightside Seeking New Board Members
Brightside Community Homes Foundation provides affordable rental homes for a community of residents that represent an array of backgrounds and lived experience. We believe that our Board of Directors should be representative of Brightside’s resident community and are seeking new Board members to bring their unique voice to our Board governance, including at least one with a strong financial background.
We are proud of the diversity of our staff and management team, and our Board members bring excellent skills and a variety of life and work experiences. With this as a platform, Brightside continues to seek ways to wholly represent the needs, challenges, and diversity of the Brightside resident community. Brightside residents are primarily seniors and older adults who live independently, people with disabilities, and families. A majority of Brightside residents have fixed or low income. Many have experienced homelessness or have been at risk of homelessness in the past.
We are committed to providing homes for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous residents, and Brightside’s Board of Directors is actively engaged in governance that supports meaningful reconciliation and relationship-building with First Nations on whose land we operate. We recently approved an Initial Strategy on Truth, Reconciliation and LandBack, bringing exciting direction to Brightside’s governance and mandate. We value this work and are dedicated to advancing our relationships with local First Nations and Indigenous-led organizations.
We are looking for Board candidates that represent any of the multitude of communities with which Brightside residents identify, which include Indigenous Peoples, racialized, and equity-denied groups, refugees and newcomers, people with diverse abilities, and folx who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+, among others. We seek to fill one position on the Brightside Board of Directors with someone who brings a strong professional background in finance.
New Board members do not need previous Board experience. We consider the most critical skills to include the desire to be guided in decision-making by Brightside’s values, the ability to think about issues objectively, to become actively involved in open and curious discussions, and to understand and accept other perspectives as part of the consensus-building process. While experience on a volunteer Board is a plus, we offer Board training and maintain a “Board-buddy” system for new Board members who need or want such support. Board members must reside in the Lower Mainland and have some knowledge of the challenges facing renters in Metro Vancouver.
Who we are as an organization
Brightside’s mission is to build resilient communities, throughout Metro Vancouver, with safe and secure homes for those struggling to meet the demands of market housing. As a charitable, non-profit society providing affordable homes for over 70 years, we understand the need for our organization to reflect the communities we serve in a way that is just and equitable. To be most effective, we must be governed by people who understand the experiences of the communities we serve and of our residents.
More information on Board opportunities and how to apply
As a Brightside volunteer Board Director, you will be one of up to twelve values-aligned individuals committed to the Brightside ambition of improving the number and quality of affordable rental homes in Metro Vancouver. Board meetings are held regularly on the fourth Tuesday of each month. You will also participate in standing committees, working groups, and other events.
If you feel connected to this work and to our mission, please send us a resume with a short supporting statement (300-500 words) highlighting why this opportunity would be beneficial for you and for Brightside. Your short supporting statement should say why you are interested in the role and what you would bring to it. Alternatively, you can respond with similar information in a letter of interest, or if you prefer, a short video (maximum 3-minute video length).
Please send the above – whichever method you choose – to ceo@brightsidehomes.ca