Responsible means being reliable, transparent and grounded in our values — whether that’s showing up for our team, staying consistent in our work or fixing things when they go wrong. Here's how it looks for Associate Director, Simran Grover.

Simran started working in supportive housing during the pandemic as a casual frontline worker with Vancouver Native Health Society. He found the role fulfilling because he could see the impact he had on people’s lives, and he caught on early that small contributions go a long way. That sense of tangible impact is what drew him in, and what continues to motivate him today.  

Simran first joined Community Builders as a Resident Support Worker at Granville Villa, one of the organization’s more challenging sites at the time. There, he began to see responsibility not just as care for residents, but as attention to systems — identifying what wasn’t working and helping improve the structures that support both residents and staff.  

Over time, his role evolved into Coordinator, site leadership and then senior leadership. Today, as an Associate Director, Simran oversees a large portfolio of supportive housing sites. He says his motivation hasn’t changed much since his first frontline shifts.

For Simran, responsibility comes down to follow-through. “To be responsible is to follow through on the plans you create,” he says, “and to take ownership of the outcomes, not just the decision.”  

He reflects on his time as Operations Manager at the Patricia Hotel, during Community Builders’ early transition into the building. With close to 200 residents, the site faced significant challenges, including strained trust inherited from the previous operator. Simran knew trust couldn’t be rebuilt overnight.  

The work began with consistency and communication. The Patricia team organized resident meetings, creating space for people to name what wasn’t working, from maintenance and safety to administration and overall quality of life. Standing in front of residents, Simran told them plainly: we can help.  

Then came the responsibility to follow through.  

Maintenance teams tackled long-standing fixes. Community Builders worked with the building owner on capital funding. Staff supported residents through new program agreements. Meetings continued. Events were held. Slowly, the building began to change.  

Within months, resident morale improved. Over the first year, the Patricia became a more stable housing site. Trust was earned. Safety improved. Resident engagement increased.  

The challenges didn’t disappear, and that was never the goal. Responsibility, Simran reflects, isn’t about promising perfection. It’s about listening, staying accountable and continuing to show up, committed to doing things better, one day at a time.

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