This episode of Vancouver Housing Stories centres around the life we can build with our neighbours, if we want it.  From seniors fighting to keep their collective home, to new families struggling to find space for home, the stories in this episode drive home that no model of housing can succeed without really listening to the residents themselves.

This episode looks into isolation tenants face in Vancouver. First, Victoria Spooner relays the benefits and obstacles of having a pet in British Columbia. She talks to aspirational pet owners, as well as Pets OK BC organizer Elliot Galan. Afterwards, Yijia Zhang's piece “My Night Shift After Work" shares a sensory feeling to illustrate how long commutes and housing conditions add up to unmanageable amounts of household labour.

Moonhee is a low-income tenant who received subsidized rent from BC Housing in a building owned by a large non-profit. But when she finds toxic mold in her apartment, getting anyone to care about her safety becomes an impossible task. This episode underscores why poorly maintained housing is not 'good enough' for anyone, but great social housing can be for everyone.

Vancouver Housing Stories is a podcast mini-series where each episode takes a different approach to stories about renting in Vancouver. The series features six Vancouver-based storytellers and artists using pre-recorded tenant interviews to develop their own storytelling and audio practices, while considering the topic of housing.

Could changes in Vancouver’s municipal housing policy make a difference in a city of people battling skyrocketing rents and constant evictions?

VTU members collect tenant stories and partner with a youth arts mentorship program to create audio podcasts about housing.

Above: Kell Gerlings leads a discussion on housing and social action. Photo courtesy of VIVO Media Arts Centre