Partner with PASS Housing
Building Inclusive Communities Together
PASS Housing & Community partners with developers and housing providers to create affordable rental homes where adults with developmental disabilities can live with greater independence while building meaningful connections within their community.
For developers and housing providers, PASS offers a way to incorporate inclusive housing into a larger residential community with an experienced nonprofit partner alongside the project. We bring knowledge of the residents and families we serve, experience coordinating individualized housing and support arrangements, and an ongoing organizational presence throughout planning, tenanting and beyond.
Our goal is not simply to find individual apartments. We work to create communities where PASS Housing residents can live with greater independence, maintain the individual supports they need, and develop meaningful connections with neighbours, other PASS members, families and caregivers.
Our first housing community at Aspen in Vancouver has demonstrated what can happen when affordable housing, individualized support and community come together. We are now looking to build on that experience through partnerships with developers and housing providers across Metro Vancouver.
The PASS Housing Model
At the heart of PASS Housing is our community-based approach.
Rather than placing individuals in isolated homes across different buildings, PASS seeks opportunities for a group of residents to live within the same residential development.
Each PASS Housing resident has their own home, lease, routines and individualized support arrangements. Some residents live quite independently with periodic support, while others may live with a caregiver or Life Share partner.
Living near other PASS members creates opportunities for familiarity, friendship and natural connection, while residents remain fully part of the broader residential community.
This balance between independence and community is central to the PASS Housing model.
What PASS Brings to a Partnership
PASS provides an ongoing point of connection between residents, families and the housing provider. Our involvement begins before tenanting and continues as residents establish their homes and become part of the broader community.
Our role includes:
Identifying potential residents and working with families to assess housing readiness
Helping match residents with appropriate housing opportunities
Supporting families through the application and transition process
Working with families to ensure appropriate caregiving and support arrangements are in place
Administering PASS rental subsidies and annual eligibility reviews
Maintaining ongoing communication with residents, families and property management
Supporting community building and connections among PASS Housing residents
Helping address concerns collaboratively when they arise
Maintaining connections with families interested in future housing opportunities and supporting housing-readiness planning
PASS does not act as the landlord, property manager or direct care provider. Our role is to provide the coordination, continuity and community connection that can help support successful tenancies.
A Partnership That Continues Beyond Move-In
Partnering with PASS means working with an established nonprofit organization throughout the housing process, not simply identifying residents and stepping away once leases are signed.
PASS helps coordinate prospective residents and families before tenanting, supports the transition into housing, administers PASS subsidies for eligible residents, and remains an ongoing point of contact for families and property management.
This provides developers and housing providers with a consistent organizational relationship while PASS residents continue to hold their own leases, maintain their individual support arrangements and remain part of the broader residential community.
Building on Aspen
Aspen, located at Main and 6th in Vancouver, became the first PASS Housing community in 2023 through a partnership with Catalyst Community Developments. PASS initially placed 16 residents in the development and has since grown the community to 18 PASS Housing residents.
Aspen has demonstrated the value of having PASS members, families and caregivers connected within a larger residential community. It has also shown how an ongoing relationship between PASS, families and property management can contribute to positive housing experiences and a strong sense of community.
Our experience at Aspen continues to inform the housing opportunities we pursue and the partnerships we build.
Aspen Media Coverage:
‘Happy to be here’: Vancouver apartment brings opportunity for people living with autism on Global News
Taryn’s story: How an autistic adult found housing in Vancouver on Vancouver Is Awesome
Hear from some of our happy PASS Housing members at ASPEN
Supporting Housing Affordability
PASS has established a financial model to help support long-term housing affordability for eligible PASS Housing residents. Rental subsidies are currently supported through a donor-advised fund held at Vancouver Foundation, with investment income contributing toward monthly subsidies.
PASS administers these subsidies and conducts annual eligibility reviews as part of our ongoing financial stewardship.
The affordability structure for each future housing partnership would be considered in relation to the development, available rents, resident eligibility and PASS's available subsidy resources.
What Makes an Opportunity a Good Fit
Every development is different, and we don't expect future PASS Housing communities to replicate Aspen. We are interested in exploring different partnership models while building on what we have learned through our first housing community.
Opportunities are particularly promising when they include some combination of:
A group of affordable or below-market rental homes within a larger residential development
A mix of home sizes that can accommodate different living and support arrangements
The potential for residents to establish stable homes within the community
Access to transit, services and community amenities
Opportunities for PASS residents to be fully integrated into the broader residential community
A developer or housing provider interested in working collaboratively with PASS from planning through tenanting and beyond
Not every opportunity will include all of these elements. We welcome early conversations to better understand a development and explore together whether there is a strong fit with the PASS Housing model.
Let's Start a Conversation
The best partnerships often begin early.
If you are a developer, housing provider or organization planning a residential project, we would welcome the opportunity to learn about your development, share what we have learned through PASS Housing, and explore what an inclusive housing community could look like together.
Have a project in the early planning stages? We would still like to hear from you. Connecting early gives us time to understand the development, consider potential affordability and support models, and explore how PASS Housing could fit within the broader community.