A jewel in a rough market: Madrona provides affordable housing for middle-class workers

Anne G. would never be described as a typical Victoria resident: She’s a self-employed professional in the arts, with work that takes her out of town for weeks or months at a time. She doesn’t make six figures, but she’s supporting herself in a vocation she loves and that allows her to make a meaningful contribution to society.

But some years ago, her travel-for-work schedule became so hectic that she decided to give up her rental apartment and keep her belongings in storage. In 2015, once back in Victoria after long stints on the road, she suddenly found herself in the midst of an all too common crisis. She had become a home-hunter in a housing market that was far beyond her reach.me years ago, her travel-for-work schedule became so hectic that she decided to give up her rental apartment and keep her belongings in storage. In 2015, once back in Victoria after long stints on the road, she suddenly found herself in the midst of an all too common crisis. She had become a home-hunter in a housing market that was far beyond her reach.me years ago, her travel-for-work schedule became so hectic that she decided to give up her rental apartment and keep her belongings in storage. In 2015, once back in Victoria after long stints on the road, she suddenly found herself in the midst of an all too common crisis. She had become a home-hunter in a housing market that was far beyond her reach.me years ago, her travel-for-work schedule became so hectic that she decided to give up her rental apartment and keep her belongings in storage. In 2015, once back in Victoria after long stints on the road, she suddenly found herself in the midst of an all too common crisis. She had become a home-hunter in a housing market that was far beyond her reach.

“Over many years of living in Victoria, all I saw in new development was ‘luxury this’ and ‘luxury that.’ Now I was living with the result: housing prices had gone through the roof. I couldn’t afford to live anywhere unless I gave up saving for retirement, which didn’t make sense.”

Where, Anne wondered, were the homes for people with sustainable, fulfilling careers that don’t pay six figures? While she looked, she took up residence in a friend’s garage, a comfortable place equipped with a skylight and the novel opportunity to live in 180 sq. ft. But Anne wanted a place to call her own.

Then, Anne meandered by a booth at a Victoria street fair manned by Catalyst Community Developments Society, and learned about its plans to build Madrona at Dockside Green, a housing community that gives those who might not normally have the chance to rent in a brand-new Victoria neighbourhood adjacent to downtown.

Located at Dockside Green, and with 49 rental-only units ranging from studios to four-bedroom townhouses, there’s something for everybody, including people like Anne, who signed up on the waiting list.

Today, she is quite at home in a compact one-bedroom Madrona at Dockside Green apartment, in a community that wouldn’t have been built without support from Vancity. In keeping with our commitment to affordable housing, Vancity worked with Robert Brown to establish Catalyst Community Developments Society, a not-for-profit whose mission is to leverage real estate assets to create positive change.

Rents are set at 10 to 40 per cent below the market rate. There is an income requirement, and all possible tenants complete an application that’s reviewed by a Catalyst property manager. They focus on finding occupants who are earning between $25,000 and $75,000 a year.

Madrona at Dockside Green is perfectly in sync with Vancity’s goals to build economically diverse, wholly integrated, and healthy communities. “It combines good business for the credit union with good for the community,” says Kira Girwing, Vancity manager in community investment.

Anne says that living in an affordable space that is clean and comfortable and does wonders for the morale. She now feels a great sense of pride in her home, and in her community. “There’s been integrity at every level – from how it was conceived to how it was built. I especially like that this is a non-profit, built out of a desire to create liveable, environmentally-sensitive community. That alone is enough to make me proud of my new home.”