About Us
40 Years of Community, Connection, and Home
Entre Nous Femmes Housing Society was founded in 1984 by three women who wanted to improve the lives of families similar to their own. Our founders—April English, Leslie Stern, and Mia Cross—were single mothers who, with a modest $1,000 grant and a fierce commitment, created a housing organization dedicated to women supporting women. As one of Canada’s first women-led community housing organizations, we focus on the unique needs of women, gender-diverse groups, single-parent families, seniors, people with disabilities, and other equity-deserving groups. Today, we continue to develop new affordable rental housing and manage 13 properties with over 500 affordable rental homes across Metro Vancouver, serving more than 1200 diverse community members.
Our Name
The name “Entre Nous Femmes” came about after our founders April English, Leslie Stern, and Mia Cross realized they needed a name for their newly founded organization that reflected both the inclusive and non-hierarchical model of creating spaces for women by women. They gathered one evening, armed with a pot of tea, and they came up with the name “Entre Nous Femmes”; April took responsibility for the name. Growing up in a francophone community, she believed a French name would reflect the potential and opportunity to create something new and unique and speak to the collaboration and connection between this group of women. “Entre Nous Femmes” in its translation is “Amongst us, Women,” which speaks not to the individual but about “us together” in the community. Creating a place of belonging, inclusiveness, and collaboration is still a philosophy we follow today.
Our Vision
Everyone has a place to call home.
Our Mission
We are dedicated to enhancing people’s lives through the creation of communities that provide affordable, safe and secure housing.
Our Theory of Change
Our theory of change helps tell the bigger story of what we’re doing in the world. We are investing in more than brick-and-mortar buildings. We believe that affordable, safe, secure housing provides a foundation from which individuals can pursue their full economic, social, and human potential.
By providing safe and stable homes for families, we are also supporting children to have a strong foundation for future development. This is the broader change we’re after, grounded in our commitment to gender equity, and the advancement and empowerment of women and gender diverse people, and other equity-deserving groups that have been marginalized as a result of racism, colonization, and other forms of discrimination.
Our Values
Our values have shaped our decisions, actions, and behaviours since our inception. These are the underlying principles that guide our work and for which we hold ourselves accountable in our operational plans and daily processes and procedures.
