Cowichan Housing Association
At Cowichan Housing Association (CHA), we believe affordable, equitable housing is foundational to individuals, families, and communities. We are committed to facilitating and developing permanent affordable housing opportunities within the Cowichan Valley.
Through community development and programming, including housing loss prevention supports, we work to increase permanent affordable housing options and to reduce homelessness throughout the region.
Our Impact
Since the establishment of Cowichan Housing Association (CHA) in 2015, the organization has evolved into an important community hub focused on providing information, services, and advocacy for affordable housing, housing loss prevention, and for people who are precariously housed, unhoused, and those experiencing homelessness.
We are working one step at a time to ensure every resident of the Cowichan Valley has permanent, affordable, and safe housing.
Housing Loss Prevention Services
Since 2016, CHA's
Emergency Assistance Program has helped prevent 440+ evictions and utility disconnections for individuals and families.
From 2021 to 2025,CHA's Food Voucher Program supported food security for over 318+ households.
Cowichan Coalition to End Homelessness
Members of the Cowichan Coalition to End Homelessness gathered Spring of 2024 to share information related to their work in community. The information gathered informed a 3-phase comprehensive response to this complex crisis in our community, named the "Vision for Wellness" which can be found here.
"The Village" and Temporary Housing
CHA initiated the implementation of “The Village” in March 2022 housing 34 homeless individuals; the first of it’s kind in Cowichan. The Village continues today, under the operation of Lookout Housing and Health Society.
As a result of CHA’s temporary housing sites during the pandemic, 36 individuals transitioned to supportive housing at Sq'umul' Shelh Lelum.
Please know that we are not affiliated with BC Housing and do not have access to any housing waitlists within the community.
For all BC Housing inquiries please call: 1-800-257-7756
We acknowledge that we work within the traditional unceded territories of the Quw’utsun, Malahat, Ts’uubaa-asatx, Halalt, Penelakut, Stz’uminus, Lyackson, Pauquachin, Ditidaht, and Pacheedaht Peoples. They have been custodians of the land since time immemorial. We would like to pay our respect to the Elders and knowledge keepers, both past and present. We are grateful to live and work on these territories. We also affirm that colonialism, and the attitudes and practices that have accompanied it, contributes to the continued systemic discrimination and violence against Indigenous Peoples.
If you would like to learn more about Indigenous territories, languages, arts, and heritage, visit: https://maps.fpcc.ca/languages
We are grateful to the following organizations for their ongoing support:
