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cross British Columbia, thousands of people are living one rent increase, one illness, or one lost job away from homelessness. The journey into housing instability often begins quietly – with isolation, disconnection, and the feeling that no one is there to lean on.

But just imagine – what if housing was designed around connection, not just construction?

This Homelessness Action Week, Streetohome Foundation is shining light on  an idea that puts belonging back at the centre of housing: Chosen Family Pods.

A Chosen Family Pod (CFP) is a purpose-built home where people choose to live together like family – friends, relatives, co-workers, and/or peers who share values, responsibilities, and mutual support. Each pod includes private bedrooms and shared kitchens and living spaces, creating an intentional balance between privacy and community.

For individuals and families living on low or fixed incomes, finding and keeping a home has become so difficult that it is now deemed impossibly unaffordable. CFPs make it possible to share costs – with rents up to 40% lower than a one-bedroom apartment – while also rebuilding the social connections that make stability sustainable.

Because homelessness isn’t only about losing a roof –it’s also about losing belonging, safety, and trust. CFPs help restore those – not through formal programs, but through everyday human connection. Someone to talk to. Someone to notice. Someone to come home to.

Our Chosen Family Pods Business Case outlines how partnerships among developers, municipalities, and community organizations can bring this model to life – creating homes that reflect how people actually live and care for one another.

It’s a way to think differently about housing: not as a single unit, but as a shared opportunity for dignity, choice, and connection.

Because sometimes, the strongest foundation isn’t built of concrete – it’s built of community.