News & Updates

Social Purpose Real Estate (and SPRE) featured in REIBC's quarterly journal INPUT

JUST RELEASED Building Community with Partnershipsin the Real Estate Institute of BC's INPUT Quarterly Publication on Land & Real Estate Issues in BC, Summer 2019, Vol 47, Number 2. With articles by Social Purpose Real Estate Collaborative (SPRE) member & Central City Foundation's Jennifer Johnstone, SPRE's Project Director Jacquie Gijssen, Catalyst Community Development Society's Robert Brown, Stephanie Allen of BC Housing and others. A comprehensive look at the social purpose real estate sector in BC.

Bank of England's Chief Economist Highlights Importance of Voluntary Sector

Andy Haldane: ‘We have allowed the voluntary sector to wither,’ The Guardian, 2019. With the premise that the Voluntary (Social Purpose) Sector is going to lead society through the fourth industrial revolution, it's time to invest in real estate to ensure they can deliver. 

Announcing SPRE Intern / Researcher Liana Glass

Liana comes to SPRE from the School of Community & Regional Planning at UBC where she is a 2nd year student. We are delighted to have her interest and enthusiasm for social purpose real estate assisting SPRE for the next 8-9 months. Liana can be reached at SPRE.research@gmail.com

JUST PUBLISHED: Shared Space & the New Non Profit Workplace

SPRE is thrilled to share the news of this new publication, which we think will transform access to information on non profit centres and shared spaces in North America. By SPRE friends and partners in the 2015 Building Opportunities Conference, China Brotsky and Sarah Eisinger, with Diane Vinokur-Kaplan, Shared Space & the New Non Profit Workplace tells it all. Shared Space is "... a practical roadmap to develop these new workspaces; documents benefits to nonprofit staff, organizations, and their communities; and presents challenges and solutions at successful nonprofit shared spaces, the history of nonprofit centers, and future trends. Further, it offers nonprofits an opportunity to engage in forward-thinking practices, such as collaborative service delivery, green building operations, and cross-sector alliances. The comprehensive resource will be useful to nonprofit executives, staff and board members, foundations, philanthropists, real estate and urban planning professionals interested in creating these projects, and researchers and students of the nonprofit sector."

Industrial Concierge Services - Vancouver Economic Commission

A new program by VEC, businesses and organizations can sign up for Industrial Concierge Services to connect to opportunities for industrial space-sharing in Vancouver.

CIRES Community Impact Real Estate Society joins the SPRE Table

The SPRE Table is excited to announce yet another new member -- CIRES Community Impact Real Estate Society!  Using BC Housing properites on long term lease, the non-profit society CIRES manages 52 commercial units in 24 building in Vancouver's inner city. Totallying 100,000+ sf, most of the buildings are mixed use with commercial retail at grade and social housing above. Approximately 60% of the commercial units are leased at below market rates to social enterprises and non-profit organiziations with value added back annually via profits from the commercial leases. This is social purpose real estate at scale!

SPRE joins 2019 Land Summit as Allied Partner, May 9-10, Vancouver BC

Social purpose real estate takes the stage at the 2019 Land Summit with two deep dive sessions and amobile tour. This is the place for land use conversations! Held once every five years, the Land Summit brings together planners, real estate professionals, architects, land surveyors, appraisers, landscape architects, engineers, developers--the full spectrum. Registration ends May 3rd. Preliminary program & registration at: https://buff.ly/2GfmAkt

Heritage Legacy Funding Deadline May 17, 2019

Is your social purpose real estate project located in a heritage building? Your organization may be eligible for funding to help plan, restore or other wise take care of the property. Check out this funding program for more information.

New Member CMHC joins the SPRE Table

With affordablity affecting not just housing but equally impacting non profit and social enterprise spaces, SPRE is delighted to have the Affordable Housing Team at CMHC join the SPRE Table. Their presence along with BC Housing, rounds out the conversation and enables oppunitities for more robust examination of the issues and possible solutions. 

SPRE Welcomes City of Richmond!

The Social Purpose Real Estate Collaborative is pleased to welcome the City of Richmond as its newest member. With representation from the Policy Planning, Community Social Development, and Arts, Culture & Heritage departments, we look forward to enhancing the regional perspective on space for community.

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