Disability Alliance BC (DABC) announced today that its nationally recognized Right Fit Program will lose its federal funding as of April 1, 2026, forcing the program to close and leaving hundreds of wheelchair users without critical housing support.
The Right Fit Program is the only initiative of its kind in Canada; directly matching wheelchair users with accessible housing and supporting them through the entire process. Wheelchair users face significant barriers to housing. Accessible homes are scarce and often filled without consideration of accessibility needs, while individuals requiring these units are left navigating complex systems alone. Without the Right Fit Program, wheelchair users will face increased risk of homelessness, institutionalization, or being forced to live in inaccessible and unsafe conditions.
“The loss of the Right Fit Program is devastating,” said Helaine Boyd, Executive Director of DABC. “This program fills a critical gap in our housing system. Without it, wheelchair users will be left without the supports they need to secure safe, accessible housing.”
Demand for the program continues to grow, with 226 wheelchair users currently on the waitlist—a 73% increase over two years. Since 2017, the program has placed 371 individuals into stable, accessible homes. Notably, 38% of clients served were homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness at the time of placement.
Right Fit client Shantal Bateham, a 29-year-old artist, says the program changed her life after years of searching for suitable housing.
“The Right Fit is not just an important program—it is vitally necessary. In my 14 years of living with a disability, it is the only program I have encountered that truly prioritizes matching accessible housing to people who need it. While other systems left me searching for years, The Right Fit helped me find a safe, accessible home in just one month.”
“When someone using a wheelchair is placed in housing that is not accessible, they cannot cook, bathe, or even leave their home independently—not because of their abilitiess, but because of the environment they are forced to exist in Put that same person in an accessible home, and they become independent, empowered, and able to full participate in their communit. That is not just life-changing—it is community-changing”
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