Small Housing has big solutions to the housing crisis. 

At Small Housing, our mission is to accelerate the adoption of gentle density housing in communities across British Columbia. With single-detached housing representing upwards of 50% of the housing options across the province, there is a big opportunity to create more homes in existing neighbourhoods and more homes within reach.

We are a non-profit organization that collaborates with government, industry, and homeowners to enable the introduction of ground-oriented housing in single-family zones.

We work to advance policy and regulatory tools, best practices for home designs, development proformas and affordable housing models, and build the capacity of the sector to increase supply.

At Small Housing, our team of experts brings together a diverse range of backgrounds, including developers, designers, academics and affordable housing specialists. We offer a unique blend of insights that bridge planning, policy, and proformas to support the growth of more equitable and resilient neighbourhoods in British Columbia.

Small Housing catalyzes the evolution of single-family neighbourhoods to provide ground oriented homes, equitable for all.

We are committed to supporting innovation in housing policy, planning, finance, design, and construction, with the aim of creating more housing options, inclusive of attainable and below-market housing.

By enabling gentle density and creating more equitable and resilient neighbourhoods, we support the development of thriving communities across the province.

Meet the Team

Executive Director

Tamara White

Tamara White leads Small Housing’s team, focusing on municipal capacity-building work, cross-sector partnerships and research efforts, with the objective of scaling up attainable gentle density housing supply. She is a planner and affordable housing specialist, with a background in community-based development. She has conducted extensive international and domestic research and policy analysis and has held roles within government housing and planning agencies (Brazil, China, Canada), with work spanning the housing spectrum from homelessness and supportive housing to affordable home ownership.

Director of Planning

Carl Isaak

Carl rallies industry and municipal partners to accelerate the delivery of gentle density homes that fit well in neighbourhoods, and advocates for government policies that encourage ‘right-sizing’ new housing. His efforts build on years of leading policy and development teams in small and large communities, as well as private development experience and working with a non-profit convening city-to-city learning networks. Carl’s policy expertise includes climate action, heritage adaptation, and tenant assistance, but his main passion is improving quality of life for all by promoting housing that allows elderly folks to stay in their neighbourhoods, grown children to afford their own place without an hour commute, and young families to live near the ‘village’ it takes to raise children.

Outside of work Carl is a “softball dad” and when not chauffeuring/cheering he enjoys reading, being outdoors, and watching live entertainment with family. And, usually by third inning, dreaming of traveling again.

Planning Assistant

Ava Reeve

Ava Reeve brings together diverse experience to support Small Housing as our Planning Assistant. With an education in architecture and sustainable community development, her past work has been related to a range of topics, including housing for community agriculture, stigma against homelessness, senior inclusiveness, youth engagement, land trusts, off-grid home design, and the development and promotion of best practices for a range of sustainability goals. Her strengths include writing, critical research and partnership-building. She holds a special place in her heart for cottage courts.

Program Manager

Aina Adashynski

Growing up, Aina’s mom often told her she would make a difference in the world, and with a hard-coded passion to do purpose-filled, impactful work, she has spent almost 30 years supporting directors, staff, and members at arts, cultural, and community organizations in western Canada. Colleagues have described Aina as a ‘Swiss Army Knife’, referencing her eclectic skill set and Jeopardy!-like recall of random-but-mostly-useful information, which she draws on in her work supporting the Small Housing team.

Aina is grateful to live, learn, work and wander on the unsurrendered traditional and ancestral territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, Tsleil Waututh, Kwikwetlem, and Sto:lo peoples. When not studying or reading, Aina enjoys cold dips in the ocean, chatting with her son about jazz and video games, walks with her dog, and tending a growing forest of rubber trees.

Board of Directors

Chair

Richard Bell

Richard Bell is a visionary in real estate law and conveyancing, developing one of the busiest real estate practices in British Columbia. But more importantly, Richard has cultivated an intimate knowledge of the pains experienced by myriad homebuyers in their pursuit of affordable and liveable homes in a challenging market. Richard has walked the path that Small Housing pursues, having redeveloped his property to enable him to age in place and give his children the opportunity to own a share of real estate in Vancouver.

Vice Chair

Akua Schatz

Akua Schatz is a senior executive with a track record of supporting non-profits and companies to operational excellence – increasing profits and staff engagement, raising profile and reputation and generating greater social and environmental impact. In particular she has close to 20 years of experience working on sustainability and the built environment, advancing policy change and construction practices to support a sustainable future.

Co-Founder, Director

Jake Fry

Jake Fry is the founder of Smallworks Laneways, the premier builder of laneway homes and creator of one of the most important innovations in infill in North America of the last 25 years. He is a thought leader in how to develop within established single family neighbourhoods and manage the logistics of building within existing built environments. Jake was instrumental in supporting the City of Vancouver to adopt its original laneway house bylaw and has since assisted several municipalities to develop zoning bylaws.

Director

Scot Hein

Scot Hein was the University of British Columbia’s Urban Designer until May 2018, and currently lectures in two of its master programs. During a decade as Senior Urban Designer for the City of Vancouver, Scot was responsible for the development planning of Woodward’s, Southeast False Creek/Olympic Village, Mole Hill, Chinatown, the revitalization of Gastown/Victory Square/Hastings Corridor, and related public realm projects such as the Granville Mall, Carrall Street Greenway, Pigeon Park, Downtown Historic Trail, CPR ROW and the Silk Road. He co-chaired the inaugural urban design panel for Abu Dhabi, is a founding board member of Urbanarium, and served as Canada’s representative for the Built Environment Education Movement.

Director

Nadia Hill

With over a decade of working on the construction and development of projects in the private sector, Nadia Hill has experience delivering large-scale residential projects. Nadia leads a portfolio of projects including several of the Vancouver Affordable Housing Authority sites currently under development in partnership with the Community Land Trust – these projects will produce over 500 new units of affordable housing.

Director

Patricia Lightburn

Patricia has nearly 15 years pf experience leading cutting-edge climate policy work for government, industry and NGOs across Canada. As a Managing Consultant at Dunsky Energy + Climate Advisors, Patricia manages a range of projects in the buildings, clean mobility and renewables sectors. Patricia has her master’s degree from Sciences Po, Paris, and completed her undergraduate degree in environmental policy at the University of Toronto.

Director

Jim Bussey

Jim is the Founder and President of Formwerks and Formwerks Boutique Properties, guiding his team with his expertise to create timelessly designed projects. Fueled by a desire to design homes that embody architectural integrity, Jim applies his mindfulness-in-design philosophy across all single and multi-family projects, delivering value through carefully interpreting each client’s needs. He is inspired to create purpose-driven, intentional spaces with an emphasis on character. Having designed a plethora of single-family homes, Formwerks has grown into a well-rounded and distinguished pillar of the industry, leaving a legacy of buildings for which he is proud.

Director

Kate Watson

Kate is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) with over 20 years experience in the industry. For 15 years Kate managed a team of consultants implementing Microsoft ERP systems throughout a wide variety of businesses, before moving into the non-profit sector as the Director of Finance for the Social Planning and Research Council of BC. Kate brings a strong aptitude for systems, processes and reporting that she is excited to contribute to the Small Housing Board of Directors.

Kate lives on the unceded land of the Coast Salish peoples, including the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. She is committed to advancing gentle densification and small housing as a solution to the current housing crisis.

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