Brightside Resident Relocation Services

Since 2019, Brightside has completed relocations for over 140 residents in three projects within the City of Vancouver, and currently supporting other not-for-profits in their relocation efforts.

The residents we serve have mainly been seniors, people with disabilities and families with diverse backgrounds, with low to moderate household incomes, and a range of physical and mental abilities. We have experience working in subsidized buildings, and mixed-income buildings where we assisted both social housing residents and market rate residents to find new housing.

Each relocation resident and household is unique, with specific needs and preferences. By engaging residents in a comfortable and supportive manner, trust is built, allowing the team to work collaboratively to find safe and secure housing for each household. Brightside’s person-centred, collaborative approach allows residents to relocate with minimal disruption and creates positive experiences whenever possible.

Local Government Experience

We are familiar with the Residential Tenancy Branch requirements and have connections with municipalities within Metro Vancouver. In particular, we are very familiar with the City of Vancouver’s Tenant Relocation and Protection Policy, which has the broadest requirements in the Province. We have worked closely with City of Vancouver staff to test different compensation scenarios and approaches to resident relocation while keeping within the municipal policies and responding to Council concerns.

BC Housing Experience

Brightside has had a close working relationship with BC Housing on Community Housing Fund-approved projects. One particular redevelopment project presented some unique challenges rooted in concerns among the resident community that they were being “renovicted.” Brightside mitigated these concerns by hosting meetings with the community of concerned residents as a group and establishing a collaborative working relationship. This led to Brightside finding appropriate housing for a small community to relocate as a group and a rental subsidy program was developed to facilitate the move with BC Housing support.

Not-for-Profit Experience

We have built strong relationships with other affordable housing and market housing providers in Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island to help find appropriate homes for residents. As a not-for-profit that has gone through the relocation process ourselves, we have a good understanding of organizational needs and challenges during the relocation process. Our learnings helps to inform your relocation process and to successfully relocate residents from your project.

Wesley Everaars, Director, Community Real Estate

Wesley Everaars is Brightside’s Director of Community Real Estate. He oversees Brightside’s redevelopment projects and provides leadership in asset management and procurement. Wesley’s work involves close collaboration with community groups, partner organizations, and government funders to optimize organizational goals. He has over 25 years of experience in the non-profit sector with 10 years of social housing development expertise. Wesley’s past experience has involved overseas work in Human Rights organizations and in educational settings, and he has completed a Masters of Education in Organizational Leadership. He believes in a fair and compassionate society where everyone has equal access to housing and community supports.

Francesca Leonzio, Resident Relocation Specialist

Francesca has led the Brightside Resident Relocation Team since 2019. She has been instrumental in developing and refining Brightside’s resident relocation policy and internal procedures, and communicating with City staff, stakeholders, and residents. With formal training in social work, Francesca has extensive experience working with residents who face multiple and intersecting structural vulnerabilities. Prior to joining Brightside, Francesca worked and volunteered with non-profit organizations in Italy, working mainly with youth, refugees, and newcomers. Francesca can provide oral language translation services in Italian and Spanish, if required, as part of the resident relocation process.

Ahmed Abdulrazak, Resident Relocation Coordinator

Ahmed started with Brightside’s Relocation Services team in 2020 as a Resident Relocation Coordinator. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to Brightside from his work assisting with the arrival and resettlement of newcomers and refugees. Ahmed led the resident relocation initiative at Brightside’s MacLeod Manor (currently under construction), working with market and non-market relocation residents to find appropriate homes. He is well versed in resident relocation policies and procedures and approaches challenges with calm and professionalism. As someone with lived experience as a newcomer to Canada, Ahmed has a deep understanding of the barriers, challenges, and opportunities facing new immigrants, refugees, and vulnerable groups.

Brightside’s person-centred, collaborative approach allows residents to relocate with minimal disruption and creates positive experiences whenever possible. We implement our approach with relocation residents in several ways:

• • We acknowledge “tenants” as “residents,” recognizing that they do not simply have a contractual relationship as a renter. They are community members with strong connections to their neighbours, their geography, and their home.

• • We employ an empathetic and people-centred approach that considers first the needs and preferences of residents in all communications and interactions.

• • We employ an inclusive and diverse team with different lived experiences and knowledge that reflects those we serve.

• • We create a safe space for residents to ask questions, share their concerns and express their needs and preferences.

• • During office hours and other resident interactions, we prioritize having a team of different genders and diversity. We recognize that some residents may be more comfortable connecting with specific team members than others.

• • We will interpretation services to accommodate residents’ language needs. Some of our team members are multi-lingual and can speak with residents in their language if required.

• • We work patiently with residents to ensure they understand the process. We often meet with residents multiple times and review the same documents until they feel comfortable.

• • We work collaboratively with residents to ensure resident’s needs and preferences guide our search for suitable housing, allowing residents to retain agency.

• • We are flexible to work with the resident’s caregiver, family members and advocates to find appropriate housing.

• • We understand that the resident may face changing life circumstances during the long relocation process. We are adaptable in finding different ways to locate appropriate housing as their circumstances change. We have experience working with Health Authorities, BC Housing, and Service Canada to assist with applications and income reviews.

• • We ensure residents’ privacy in any communications and documentation of their relocation process.

• • The safety of residents and our team is a priority. We will follow all Provincial Health Guidelines and COVID-19 safety measures when meeting residents. Masks, hand sanitizer, and gloves will be provided to residents. Our team will also wear masks during all resident interactions

Of the 22 buildings that Brightside owns and operates throughout the City of Vancouver, we are able to offer rent-geared-to-income (RGI) and market units to residents as they become available as part of the relocation process. With four new redevelopments coming online in 2024-2025, our capacity to provide additional homes at a variety of affordable rental rates will expand further still.