Sanford Housing Society is a Vancouver-based non-profit that has been doing one of the most grounding kinds of work imaginable since 1989 — providing safe, secure, and quality housing for people who need it most.
Serving individuals and families facing a range of life challenges — including mental health, substance use, and financial barriers — the organization has grown to 25 properties across Metro Vancouver, offering over 500 units with varied levels of support. Their model is built on partnership: Sanford develops and manages the housing, while other care organizations provide the wraparound support that helps residents feel at home.
Where Every Day Looks Different
Behind every tenancy at Sanford is a web of moving parts — finances, compliance, government relationships, maintenance, and health ministry partnerships — all working in service of one thing: making sure someone has a safe place to come home to. It's complex, and no two days look the same. But what cuts through that complexity is a team that shows up with genuine intention, understanding that every task on their list, however administrative it may seem, connects back to a real person's life.
"Everybody comes to work with the attitude and the intention to make the day better and make somebody's life better." — Feezah Jaffer
FEEZAH JAFFER
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
MARK BAILLIE
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
A Legacy of Showing Up
The name Sanford Housing Society carries the weight of more than 35 years of community commitment — and that legacy didn't happen by accident.
The mission has stayed strong because the need has never gone away. Affordable housing in Metro Vancouver remains one of the most pressing challenges facing the region, and Sanford has responded not by standing still, but by expanding thoughtfully.
Their 25th building, opened last year in North Vancouver, was more than a milestone — it was a celebration of what sustained, values-driven work can build over time. Staff, tenants, board members, government partners, and community all came together for the ribbon cutting, a moment that captured exactly what Sanford is about.
"Not only opening a new building — the relevance of that — and also celebrating 35 years and bringing them all together. That was great." — Feezah Jaffer
When the Infrastructure Has to Match the Mission
At an organization where the work is this human, the systems running in the background can't afford to fail. For years, Sanford relied on a small IT operation that had been with them since nearly the beginning — but gaps, timing issues, and a reactive approach meant that Mark had quietly started filling in the cracks alongside his property manager role at that time, troubleshooting daily issues until it became clear the situation wasn't sustainable.
That's when TAVANCA came in. Feezah had worked with Theresia Joseph, TAVANCA's CEO, and the team at a previous organization, and after exploring other options, they stood out as the right fit. After an initial scan laid out exactly what was needed, the transition began — and when the server crashed sooner than expected, the move to SharePoint happened quickly and without disruption. The shift from reactive to proactive has been felt across the whole organization ever since.
"Just getting that bounce back saying, hey, we've got this. Even if it's going to take a week to figure out, just having that so we can shift it off our urgent internal agenda and make it feel like someone's working on it." — Mark Baillie
Navigating What Comes Next
After more than 35 years of growth and 25 properties across Metro Vancouver, Sanford is navigating a sector that is evolving quickly. Funding landscapes are shifting, and the broader housing and social services environment brings its share of uncertainty. But Feezah, Mark, and the team remain grounded in what has always guided them — staying close to where the need is greatest and continuing to provide housing that gives people dignity, stability, and a real place to call home. The mission hasn't changed, and neither has the commitment behind it.
- Learn more about the housing Sanford is building across Metro Vancouver: sanfordhs.ca
- Keeping non-profit organizations secure, connected, and running: tavanca.ca
