Roots to Roofs Community Development Society is striving to be a leading resource group, co-creating housing, energy, training, and planning solutions with communities. From project visioning and inception, to construction and on-going management, our partners’ desires direct our activities. Presentation given to the Canadian Union of Skilled Workers and the Aboriginal Skilled Workers Association March 2021 by Kristopher Stevens of Centre of a Circle Consultants.

1. CUSW update
March 5, 2021
Kristopher Stevens

2. The land on which I stand, has been home to many peoples
before us. Toronto is the traditional lands of many different
Huron, Anishinaabe, and Haudenosaunee peoples—the Wendat
and Tionontati (Petun), the Seneca, the Ojibwe, Odawa, and
Potawatomi, and most recently, the Mississaugas of the Credit.
I acknowledge with respect the peoples on whose traditional
territory I stand and whose historical relationships with the land
continue to this day.

3. The Nations and communities
Alicia Phillips
Housing Manager /
Project Coordinator
Andrew Moore
T’Sou-ke Centre
for Sustainability
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4. The team
Pierre Iachetti Kristopher Stevens
Tom McLean
Carlo Iachetti
Stan Boychuk Larissa Stendie
Andrew Moore
Andrew Mooore
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5. Why are we doing this?
Even before Covid-19 made the issue worse, many
people were being chronically under-served and
improperly housed in the growing housing crisis.
Indigenous and non-indigenous elders, youth aging
out of care, young families, and other vulnerable
community members are all facing significant
challenges.
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6. Our Roots Are in finding a better way
● Deep community participation (ie. Comprehensive Community Planning)
● Inclusive engagement of community members, First Nations, other
governments, educational institutions, industry, labour and housing
professionals
● Solutions based on local knowledge, place, traditional knowledge and
proven and innovative high-performance building science
● Plan for succession and integration like an ecosystem, appropriately
supporting everyone’s growth, safety and connections
● Support and enhance the four community “S” factors with Elders and
youth —safety, services, social connections and stimulation
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7. The initial vision
We were tasked with the creation of a model for safe, quality, culturally
and environmentally appropriate supportive housing in communities, with a
focus on Elders aging in their territories to avoid or substantially delay
having to move away into long term care homes.
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8. 2017
● Partnership est. between Clean Tech
Community Gateway (CTCG) and T’Sou-ke
● BC Housing funding
2018
● Real Estate Foundation of BC & Vancouver
Foundations funding
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9. 2019
● Canadian Union of Skilled Workers
(CUSW) & Aboriginal Skilled Workers
Association (ASWA) join partnership
● Canadian Mortgage and Housing
Corporation funding
● Technical (High Performance) partners
recruited – UVic & RDH Building Sciences
● Training partners recruited – Camosun
College, Industrial Training Authority, etc.
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10. 2020
● T’Sou-ke, ?aq’am, Tseycum, Tla-o-qui-aht,
Sooke, Cranbrook and Saanich led by Chief
Planes and Eli Enns of T’Sou-ke apply to
Impact Canada
● Impact Canada awards Indigenous Homes
Innovation Initiative (IHII)
● ?aq’am and T’Souke pass Band Council
Resolutions (BCRs) and Engagements
● MOU signed with Endeavour Centre
Sustainable Building School
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11. 2021
● Roots to Roofs Incorporated as Not-for-profit Society
● $10 Million 20-Unit intergenerational multiplex (mirrored)
proposed to BC Housing with ?aq’am Community
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12. Our community of partners, funders & friends
● CleanTech Community
Gateway (CTCG)
● T’Sou-ke Nation
● CUSW-ASWA
● ʔaq'am - Ktunaxa
Nation
● WSANEC Nations
(Tseycum, Tsawout
and Tsartlip)
● University of Victoria
Civil Engineering
● RDH Building Science
● Real Estate Foundation
● Vancouver Foundation
● CMHC
● Indigenous Homes
Innovation Initiative -
ISC
● Cohousing Options
Canada Non-profit
● BC Housing
● Canadian Senior
Cohousing Society
● First Nations Housing
Authority
● Camosun College
● Industrial Training
Authority
● Pathway to Work
● Endeavour Centre
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13. What have we been working on?
● High efficiency, Passive to Net-Zero
(ready) research and design
● Employment and training opportunities
● Affordable band owned-rentals for Elderly
and vulnerable members (youth etc)
● Multi-unit intergenerational and
supportive housing
● Elders cohousing/Aging in community
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14. BC’s STEP CODE
Steps 1-5 to help ease the
building industry to a higher
standard.
By 2032, ALL new buildings
will be up to 80% more energy
efficient than those built to
BC’s 2018 Codes.
No one else is doing the
training!
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15. Embedding capacity - Trades and care training opportunities
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16. High efficiency, net-zero standards
High performance efficiency = Long-term affordability
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17. Community engagement
● Ensuring members see themselves
● Based on existing Comprehensive Community Plans
● An Indigenous approach (Elders and vulnerable youth)
● 6+ visits and engagements with ?aq’am Band
● Need and demand studies
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18. Cultural considerations
● Adding high-efficiency wood stove to Passive construction?
● Somewhere to hang an elk? Space for tanning hides?
● Art, carvings?
● Smoking and cooking spaces?
● Ceremonial spaces? End of Life?
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19. IHII: “Supporting elders to age in place”
Co-Housing and co-care of elders, youth and vulnerable members
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20. Examples of “Living in community”
Windsong (Langley, BC), Harbourside (Sooke, BC), Puyallup Nation (WA)
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21. Nanaimo
Aboriginal
Housing
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22. Our research and consultation results
● The indigenous construction company concept is still of interest but….
● The primary need identified was for a resource group to support capacity and skill
development of the economic development and housing managers
● We expect the indigenous construction companies to organically emerge from the
indigenized red seal training programs, community capacity building and
development consultant work done by Roots to Roofs
● This is about co-developing supports with and for our partner communities that
meets them where they’re at
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24. Roots to Roof’s mission
We provide expertise, training, and mentoring
to cultivate local integrated energy, buildings,
and community builders that can co-develop
affordable, high-performance, appropriate
housing and neighbourhoods that prioritize
peoples’ needs, while also combining
traditional and modern best practices, and
upholding the stewardship of the
environment.
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25. Roots to Roofs’ services as a resource group
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26. Roots to Roofs’ services as a resource group
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27. Roots to Roofs Community Development Society has an emerging
governance model based on sociocracy and consent based decision-making.
The interim Directors are a Working Board still funded by the previous
grants and funding who will serve for 18 months to set up the
organization’s:
Governance and getting the work done
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28. R2R early prototypes
Designed with specific needs in mind,
available to all Nations
“10” Elder units X 2 + Common House
T’SITS’UWATUL LELUM - Elders supporting
Elders
Full self-contained private suites with shared
amenities (laundry, meals, lounge, etc)
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31. “3” (2 elder suites + 1 family) - Family Supporting
Elders to Age in Place
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32. “20” Intergenerational (Elders, families and commons)
Community supporting elders to age in place
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33. We are striving to be a leading
resource group, co-creating
housing, energy, training, and
planning solutions with
communities.
From project visioning and
inception, to construction and on-
going management, our partners’
desires direct our activities.
We are moving together at the speed of trust
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34. Thank you!
Questions,
comments &
feedback are welcome!
Kristopher Stevens
416-303-1201
Kristopher@centreofacircle.com
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35. A national program to establish sustainable, self-funded housing at scale for the lower
income workforce. This program will develop modular, affordable high performance
housing by leveraging worker training, innovative financing mechanisms, and cross
sectoral partnerships.
Sector Initiative grant – Submitted March
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36. Sector Initiative grant
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37. Sector Initiative grant
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CleanBC Building Innovation Fund – Secured March