How BC Builds is Fast-Tracking Housing

About this episode

This episode discusses the BC Builds initiative aimed at accelerating rental housing development in British Columbia.

We’re back with Season 5 of Let’s Talk Housing—and we have a new host! Join Mita Naidu, BC Housing's Director of Content Strategy, as she dives into the stories, people, and partnerships shaping housing across B.C. In this episode, we’re talking about BC Builds—a groundbreaking initiative tackling the housing crisis in British Columbia. The program uses under-used public land and strong partnerships to speed up rental housing development for middle-income earners. We also hear from Amal Abdullah, Project Coordinator at Renewable Cities. She worked on a detailed case study that breaks down how BC Builds works and the steps being taken to build homes faster across the province. Learn more about BC Builds here: https://www.bcbuildshomes.ca/ Learn more about Renewables Cities here: https://www.sfu.ca/renewable-cities.html Guests: Lisa Helps, Executive Lead for BC Builds Project Origination and Process Innovation, BC Housing Amal Abdullah, Project Coordinator, Value Added Housing and Renewable Cities, SFU

People in this episode

Host: Mita Naidu

Guest: Amal Abdullah

Topics covered

• housing crisis
• BC Builds
• rental housing
• public land
• middle-income earners
• partnerships

Keywords

• BC Builds
• housing crisis
• rental housing
• public land
• middle-income
• Amal Abdullah
• Lisa Helps

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: BC Housing, Renewable Cities, SFU

Places: British Columbia

More episodes of Let's Talk Housing: A Podcast by BC Housing

• Meeting BC’s new Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs · January 22, 2026 · 21 min
• Building Homes Faster: How DASH Is Changing the Way We Build in B.C. · January 8, 2026 · 34 min
• Supporting Tenants: the Power of Support Programs and Services · November 27, 2025 · 31 min
• Indigenous Housing that Supports Families in Victoria · October 30, 2025 · 40 min
• Rental Assistance That Works: RAP and SAFER Programs · August 12, 2025 · 22 min
• Small Town, Big Impact: Filling the Seniors Housing Gap in Fort St. James · July 22, 2025 · 36 min