BC Housing announced on Wednesday that it is taking action to address capacity and ensure the ongoing effective management across all of its buildings, and to ensure that the residents can continue to access critical housing and supports.

After a review of buildings under Atira Women’s Resource Society’s purview, Atira and BC Housing agreed to transition the operations of two provincially owned properties with expiring agreements. A request for proposals is being issued on Wednesday, January 24 to seek new non-profit operators for these projects, which include Hutchison Rooms (429 West Pender Street) and The Hazelwood (344 Hastings Street East) in Vancouver.

BC Housing will work closely with Atira and the incoming operators to ensure there will be no interruptions for current tenants and that they will remain housed throughout the process. The operational transition of these two buildings is anticipated to be complete by June 1.

This decision is the result of actions implemented in response to a March 2023 forensic investigation report of BC Housing.

BC Housing is also undertaking an operational review of Atira and its subsidiaries, including Atira Women’s Resource Society, Atira Development Society and Property Management Incorporated, with a focus on governance structures and policies, and overall compliance with BC Housing policies and agreements.

The B.C. government and BC Housing will continue to work with Atira to determine if other Atira-run buildings with expiring agreements should be transitioned to a new operator. If so, these will be made public as new non-profit operators are selected. The exact timelines are still being determined.

BC Housing regularly reviews expiring operator agreements for properties and determines on a case-by-case basis whether to renew the existing operator or transition the property to a new operator.