Developing Housing Solutions on Cortes Island

Thank you to all who attended our Natural Building Workshop and Rainbow Ridge Open House last weekend. With over 75 people stopping by to share their ideas and cheer us on, it was a wonderful event. With direction from Mark Lombard, volunteers built a chip slip wall to adorn our community building. Thank you for helping make our dreams a reality!

After several design revisions, we’re excited to share the updated layout for our community development on Sunday, July 13th from 10 AM to noon at Rainbow Ridge.  

We are pleased to announce the launch of a new HomeShare Portal on our website. HomeShare is popular around the world as a way to connect those looking for affordable accommodations with those who have extra space in their homes or on their properties.

We are hosting two upcoming events on the weekend of July 11th. The first is a 3 day workshop on chip slip natural building. There are opportunities to drop in for 3 hour sessions as well. Please email us to register.

As a part of our effort to support housing on Cortes, the Cortes Housing Society (CHS) is working to address the significant challenges that employers and employees face finding adequate housing in the summer. Seasonal housing challenges are impacting local organizations and business’s ability to retain existing employees and attract new seasonal workers during peak season.

The Cortes Community Health Association and the Cortes Housing Society have been working together this past month. Thanks to a Gender Equity Grant from Cortes Island Community Foundation (CICF) and the Community Foundations of Canada, the CCHA is offering rural skills workshops for women on Cortes. They are using our new Cortes Wood Makerspace as a venue for building useful things.