Darnelda Siegers has been a mortgage broker for 17 years in Alberta and British Columbia and has supported many, many individuals and families in fulfilling their dream of home ownership.
After moving to Sechelt in 2009, she was encouraged to seek a position as Councillor for the District of Sechelt in the 2011 municipal election. She successfully won a seat and held it for 2 terms. She then ran for and was elected as Mayor for the District of Sechelt in 2018.
Early on in her elected role, Darnelda recognized that, due to lifestyle or life circumstances, not everyone was in a position to or wanted to purchase their own home but they still needed safe and secure housing that they could afford to live in comfortably and with dignity. On the flip side, as a mortgage broker, as the cost of housing increased, she found it heartbreaking to work with individuals or families who had full-time jobs but couldn’t qualify for a mortgage. Something needed to be done.
As Mayor, Darnelda brought the community together and her advocacy led to the creation of the Sunshine Coast Housing Action Table. This group initially focussed on the need to bring awareness of housing issues and needs to the greater community and, in particular, the need for different forms of housing. She is proud of the direction the District of Sechelt and the Sunshine Coast took under her leadership.
As one of the 50 Women for the SCCSS Building Together project, she is delighted that this project chose to focus on welcoming women and children into a new home. She believes that providing safe and secure housing is one of the most basic human needs. Everything else flows from there.
With the support of SCCSS, women and children who will be housed in this building will be provided with the foundation, space and time to relax, recharge and move on to fulfill their long-term potential.
