Climate Resilient Housing
Advancing a Climate Resilience Roadmap for DTES Non-Profit Housing
This project aims to strengthen the capacity of DTES housing providers and community organizations to prepare for and respond to climate-related emergencies while reducing risks for older adults living in non-profit housing.
This project has received funding from SFU's Climate Innovation Seed Fund Catalyst Grant ($15,000) and Pollinator Award ($5,000).
Reducing climate-related health risks
Bringing together the efforts of the Climate Resilience Roadmap and Championing Older Adults for Leadership in Environmental Sustainability & Climate Empowerment (COALESCE project), this pilot will inform whether home environmental monitoring, combined with community partnerships and organizational preparedness, can reduce climate-related health risks for older adults living in Vancouver's DTES.
By identifying dangerous indoor heat and air quality conditions, the pilot will evaluate whether real-time monitoring can support earlier interventions by housing providers and frontline organizations, reducing heat-related health risks while generating evidence to inform healthier housing, neighbourhood preparedness, and future climate adaptation investments.
Project team and community partners
- Mei Fang (SFU Urban Studies and Gerontology; Science and Training for Aging Research (STAR) Institute)
- Stuart Poyntz (SFU Communication)
- Huijin (Letitia) Zhu (SFU Gerontology)
- SFU’s Community-centred Research Initiative (CERi)
- Vancity Community Foundation
Project outcomes
This project aims to strengthen the capacity of DTES housing providers and community organizations to prepare for and respond to climate-related emergencies while reducing risks for older adults living in non-profit housing.
Social: strengthening community connections
Applying a co-research approach with older adults to strengthen relationships among residents, housing providers, and community organizations. Our objective is to improve communication, emergency preparedness, and coordination across participating organizations.
Cultural: centering older adults’ lived experiences
Prioritizes older adults’ lived experiences and recognize residents as experts in their own homes, neighbourhoods, and daily lives to co-develop climate adaptation strategies
Ecological: advancing healthier housing
Localized data on indoor temperature, humidity, air quality, and housing conditions will help partners understand how outdoor climate hazards are experienced inside DTES housing to support healthier housing practices, cooling and air-filtration strategies, improved emergency responses, and future climate adaptation investments.
Economic: supporting equitable investment
Climate vulnerability maps, healthy housing recommendations, and practical resilience resources to help partners prioritize limited resources, identify where interventions are most urgently needed, strengthen funding applications, and advocate for building-level improvements.