Press Release and Media Advisory - Rally to Save the Right Fit Program
PRESS RELEASE AND MEDIA ADVISORY
-For Immediate Release-
No Response from Federal Housing Minister as Rally Planned to Save Accessible Housing Program
Vancouver, B.C. – April 21, 2026 — Disability Alliance BC (DABC) and the Individualized Funding Resource Centre (IFRC) say they have yet to receive a response from Federal Housing Minister Gregor Robertson following the loss of funding for the Right Fit Program, Canada’s only program matching wheelchair users with accessible housing.
Operated by Disability Alliance BC in partnership with the Individualized Funding Resource Centre, the program lost its federal Reaching Home funding on April 1 and is now at risk of shutting down.
“This is a time-sensitive crisis, and we are still waiting for a response,” said Helaine Boyd, Executive Director of Disability Alliance BC. “Without action, hundreds of people in Metro Vancouver will lose access to a proven pathway out of homelessness.”
The Right Fit Program is the only initiative of its kind in Canada and has:
- Housed 371 people (including family members)
- Achieved 83% improved housing accessibility and 95% client satisfaction
- Supported many clients who were homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness
There are currently 213 people on the Right Fit Program’s waitlist, many facing eviction, unsafe housing, or homelessness.
Beyond housing, DABC warns that the loss of the program will increase pressure on B.C.’s already strained long-term care system. In the absence of accessible housing, some younger adults with disabilities are placed into long-term care, not because it is appropriate, but because no other option exists. “Without programs like the Right Fit, the system defaults to institutional solutions, at a higher cost and with worse outcomes for individuals,” Boyd said.
DABC and IFRC are calling on the federal government to restore funding immediately.
Watch the press conference from April 2, 2026: https://youtu.be/Fiiv9D0atzE
MEDIA ADVISORY: RALLY TO SAVE THE RIGHT FIT PROGRAM
Organized by Disability Alliance BC (DABC) and the Individualized Funding Resource Centre (IFRC)
What: Rally calling for urgent federal action to save the Right Fit Program
When: Wednesday, April 22, 2026 at 2:00 PM PT
Where:
Minister Gregor Robertson’s Constituency Office
#360 – 3150 E 54th Ave, Vancouver, BC
Why:
DABC has received no response from Housing Minister Gregor Robertson as a critical housing program faces shutdown, putting wheelchair users at risk of homelessness and institutionalization.
Media Contact:
Helaine Boyd, Executive Director, Disability Alliance BC
Email: helaine@dabc.ca | phone: 236-598-0463
Download the press release here.
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