Background and Expertise
Stephanie Allen is a distinguished real estate executive with extensive experience across private, non-profit, and government sectors. Recognized nationally as a housing expert, her career covers everything from market developments to supporting homeless individuals in encampments. She holds a bachelor’s in business administration and a master’s in urban studies, which earned international recognition in 2020 for her research on Black community displacement.
As the founder and principal of Adinkra Strategies, Stephanie focuses on creating accessible and affordable real estate strategies and projects. She is also a co-founder of Hogan’s Alley Society, a director at the Federation of Black Canadians, and has served on Vancouver’s Development Permit Advisory. In 2021, she received the BC Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Award in the Breaking Barriers category.
Passion for Social Justice and Community Well-Being
Stephanie’s passion for social justice and community well-being drives her professional endeavors. She is deeply committed to ensuring that everyone has a home where they feel loved and cared for, recognizing housing as a fundamental human right. Her work is deeply rooted in the principles of accessibility, affordability, and social equity, aiming to create inclusive spaces that promote dignity and respect for all individuals. Stephanie’s dedication to social justice is reflected in her efforts to combat systemic racism and advocate for the rights of marginalized communities.
Her approach involves addressing both immediate housing needs and long-term solutions that foster sustainable and equitable development. Through her consultancy, Adinkra Strategies, Stephanie collaborates with diverse stakeholders to design housing projects that not only meet economic and environmental standards but also advance social justice goals. This holistic approach ensures that the benefits of development are shared equitably, particularly among Black, Indigenous, and other racialized communities.
Engaging with Critical Thinkers
Stephanie offers valuable advice for those entering urban planning and real estate. She stresses the importance of engaging with the work of critical thinkers who have examined systemic oppression, including Angela Davis, Bell Hooks, Paulo Freire, Walter Rodney, and Frantz Fanon. Stephanie advises emerging professionals to uphold their integrity and values, resist the allure of power, and avoid dehumanizing others or being dehumanized themselves. She believes that a deep understanding of the systems we navigate is essential for driving meaningful change.
Leveraging Life Lessons
Stephanie reflects on the importance of recognizing the ups and downs of life as valuable data that can be used to build the life one wants. She says, “There’s always people you would have told off differently, or jobs you might have left sooner. That is all data. It’s your life data. And you take your life data and you analyze it and you extract from it, and you use it to build the life you want and that you deserve.”
She is currently focused on exploring how the private sector can contribute to affordable housing solutions. Stephanie believes that neither the government nor the non-profit sector alone can solve the housing crisis. Instead, she advocates for a model in the for-profit sector that combines socially motivated investors with the entire supply chain, prioritizing solutions over profit. This innovative approach aims to address the housing crisis that threatens all communities.
