History

Dignity Seniors Society was originally the Dignity House Advisory Committee (DHAC) which was founded as a Master of Social Work practicum of Alex Sangha in September 2012. The Progressive Intercultural Community Services (PICS) Society was our non-profit partner during our infancy and early establishment. The initial mandate of the DHAC was to develop affordable housing for Gender and Sexual Minority (GSM) seniors and allies in Vancouver. In 2018 the DHAC applied for, and secured, society status under the BC Society Act forming Dignity Seniors Society. The Board of the Society worked hard through 2017/18 to develop a strategic plan that would be effective over the short term, and target the long-term goals of the organization, such as developing GSD senior’s housing projects.

We thank all the people and organizations (see sponsors) that have generously given time and resources over the years to make DSS possible.

You can read our founding report by Alex Sangha here

Logo

Some say it ‘cheesy’, but we embrace it and love it! The emblem concept is very simple. It features a stylized home surrounded by a rainbow. The doors are open in a gesture to welcome everyone. The purple color signifies seniors and elders.

The logo was created and generously donated by local award winning graphic designer, Vinay Giridhar. Vinay completed the Digital Graphic Design Program at Vancouver Community College and a Diploma in Classical Animation at Vancouver Film School. You can contact Vinay at vinayg2007@gmail.com.

Language and Terminology

At DSS we use the term 2SLGBTQ+ as an inclusive acronym to represent the communities that we serve.

We have placed ‘2S’ at the beginning of “LGBTQ+” to acknowledge the importance of the Two-Spirit members of our community during the ongoing process of reconciliation in Canada. DSS asks all directors and volunteers to commit to learning about the history of residential schools and the effects of colonization on the Indigenous peoples of Canada, and the country as a whole. We use 2S as an umbrella term inclusive of LGBTQ+ Indigenous and Indiqueer people.

We use the term queer and gender diverse as a substitute for 2SLGBTQ+ to simplify language, and where specific identifiers are not required.

We honor the fact that many of the seniors in our communities have fought hard to get the acronym LGBT recognised in society. We are respectful of this, while acknowledging that the language and terminology used to represent our communities is continuously evolving.

A Huge Thank You to Our Current and Past Supporters and Funders

Dignity Seniors Society was originally the Dignity House Advisory Committee (DHAC) which was founded as a Master of Social Work project of Alex Sangha in September 2012. The Progressive Intercultural Community Services (PICS) Society was our non-profit partner during our infancy and early establishment. The initial mandate of the DHAC was to develop affordable housing for Gender and Sexually Diverse (GSD) seniors and allies in Vancouver. The DHAC undertook community consultations, surveys and a feasibility study conducted by Lumina Services and Terra Housing Consultants.

DHAC revived seed funding from: