About Us

The McLaren Family

The McLaren Story

Ted McLaren grew up on the family farm in rural Saskatchewan along with his siblings. In his early twenties he travelled to Vancouver and attended a UBC meeting, met other individual activists and became a founding member of what is now AIDS Vancouver. Ted became HIV+ early in the epidemic. When he developed AIDS his parents travelled to the city to advocate and care for him at a time when the stigma surrounding this disease was at its height. Ted passed away in October 1986.

McLaren Housing Society of BC was founded a year later in Ted’s memory. Staff and The Board of Directors are honoured for the continuing support of our work and the ongoing contact with Ted’s family. In September 2015, Ted’s Mum, brother, sister, nephew and their partners visited us for the day and were momentarily overwhelmed by the work of this organization and the legacy that is growing.

After Thirty Years

Blood red, the colour of dusky Okanagan orchards in fall
(where you gathered fruit when you were young)
mixed with the green of a highland hillside swept by fog
and crossed by strands of sunlight

These are the colours of our tartan and with them
I raise a glass of well-aged wine to you, my Brother
and give thanks for your resolve of those years ago

Your Boar’s Rock rally cry reverberates today
at Helmcken House and Howe Street
You brought honour to our ancestral past
and we thank you

The shadow of an eagle’s wing blesses us today
and we rejoice
Your example has been our teacher
that we care and honour each and every one
with gay abandon and with one love
and we thank you

– Rod McLaren, Ted McLaren’s brother
September 2015

Our Vision

A healthy, responsive and inclusive community for people living with HIV/AIDS.

Our Mission:

To provide housing and support services for individuals and families living with HIV/AIDS, and to increase their opportunities for improved health, wellness, independent living and sense of community.

Our clients are living in BC living on low/limited incomes, inadequately housed or at risk of homeless. They may require additional resources to maintain suitable housing or shelter based on individual needs.

We achieve our mission through:

  • Providing housing options- government subsidized housing, portable subsidies, supportive housing and community partnerships
  • Managing living facilities where respect, safety and a sense of community are encouraged
  • Building capacity and promoting stability by providing support services and referrals to health and community resources
  • Creating strong and unique partnerships with community organizations, health providers, and Aids Service Organizations to deliver services and programs
  • Seeking additional opportunities to expand McLaren Housing’s housing stock and related support services
  • Fundraising and promoting awareness in the wider community of McLaren Housing’s creative, distinct and innovative programs and services
  • Building community and volunteer engagement in the society’s service framework

We support:

  • The provision of comfortable, safe and affordable housing
  • An opportunity to create a home – a safe and welcome living space
  • Greater personal wellness, independence and stability
  • Opportunities to make informed, healthy choices and live full lives
  • Promote increased community engagement, and the creation of a personal social network
  • An individual’s inherent right to have a place to call home

Our Core Values:

  • Excellence
  • Commitment
  • Support and Respect
  • Diversity and Creativity
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