BCY News

Donna Stewart, a long-time advocate for below-market housing who is part of the Canadian Baptist family has been honoured for her lifetime of dedication to helping the vulnerable.

At the beginning of May, the BC Government honoured her with a BC Community Achievement Award, noting that she "has given a lifetime of volunteer service. She has advocated for the rights of women and children, affordable housing and accessible community resources." Ever the advocate, Donna managed to slip Premier Gordon Campbell a package of information on the need for low-rent housing in Vancouver while he was shaking her hand during the award ceremony.

On June 1, Donna was named Vancouver’s Woman of Distinction in the Community Building category. Specifically, Donna was being honoured for her work in founding A Place to Call Home, a society with a vision to create below-market housing for people who cannot afford to live and work in North and West Vancouver.

Read more after the link.

Despite being 80, Donna’s advocacy isn’t focussed on affordable seniors housing as many might expect, but on finding housing for all people living on the margins of the community, including young families, the homeless, people with disabilities and, of course, seniors as well. She notes that in the past 10 years there have been 3,649 market-priced units built in North Vancouver, a few below-market units for senior and people with disabilities, but only 2 below-market units built for families.

As noted in her citation for the BC Community Achievement Award: “Donna has given a lifetime of volunteer service. She has advocated for the rights of women and children, affordable housing and accessible community resources. She never misses an opportunity to speak publicly in favour of inclusive, affordable and liveable neighbourhoods and as her Mayor says, “she keeps the City Council aware of all of these goals.”

Donna is married to Gordon Stewart who has served as an interim pastor at several Canadian Baptist churches, most recently Olivet Baptist Church in New Westminster and, before that, Kitsilano Community Christian Church in Vancouver. They remain involved in a home group that is part of Kits Church.

Donna’s most recent focus, the A Place to Call Home Society does not yet have its own website but information can be found by contacting the North Shore Community Resources via its website www.nscr.bc.ca