Burnaby’s HOME Strategy Honoured with “Excellence in Policy Planning” Award
Last updated: June 28, 2023
HOME: Burnaby’s Housing and Homelessness Strategy was honoured by fellow municipal planners across BC this June, receiving an “Excellence in Policy Planning” Silver Award from the Planning Institute of BC (PIBC). This award was presented in the “City and Urban Areas” category for municipalities with populations over 80,000. Representatives from the City’s Planning and Development Department were on-hand to accept the award at the PIBC’s annual conference on Jun 1 in Sun Peaks, BC.
About the HOME Strategy
The HOME Strategy is the City’s 10-year action plan to improve housing affordability and end homelessness in our community. The Strategy builds on the work of the 2019 Mayor’s Task Force on Community Housing, and has earned acclaim for incorporating innovative policies which have established Burnaby as a leader in municipal action on housing, like Burnaby’s Rental Use Zoning Policy and Tenant Assistance Policy.
Since it was adopted by City Council in 2021, many of the action items in the Strategy have launched and are now underway, including the City’s Housing Choices program to allow laneway homes and other new housing options, streamlining the development approval process for new housing, and delivering non-market housing on City lands for residents with low and middle incomes. The recently-convened Mayor’s Task Force on Unsheltered Community Members will build on the work of the HOME Strategy to make progress towards a city where homelessness is rare, brief, and one-time.