The Save Kogawa House committee initiated a campaign to save Kogawa's childhood home, owned by her father Gordon Goichi Nakayama, in the Marpole neighbourhood of Vancouver from demolition. They developed national support from writers and writing organizations across Canada demonstrating that the house at 1450 West 64th Avenue was regarded by many as having historical value and literary significance, similar to Berton House, Emily Carr House and the Haig-Brown Institute. The Save Kogawa House committee made a successful presentation to the City of Vancouver councilors to create an unprecedented 120-day delay of the processing of a demolition permit on November 3, 2005, two days after the city had pronounced Obasan Cherry Tree Day[17] and planted a graft of the cherry tree at Vancouver City Hall from the original tree at Kogawa House.
The Land Conservancy of British Columbia became involved in the saving of Kogawa House on December 2, 2005.[18] Working with the Save Kogawa House committee, TLC took over the fund-raising efforts and media attention. TLC became the owner of the house on May 31, 2006.[19] Ownership transferred to the City of Vancouver in 2016.[20] They now are raising funds to renovate the house to increase accessibility and restore its appearance when Joy lived there in the late 1930s and early 1940s.
Kogawa House was recommended to be given heritage status by the City of Vancouver and was placed on City Council's agenda for July 12, 2022.[21] Within the available application papers and heritage designation papers presented to the public and City Council for review, however, no mention was made of the house's heritage connection to the home's former owner Mr. Nakayama, a pedophile priest who abused hundreds of children.[22] Community members raised concern that the heritage application misled the City and the public by openly ignoring parts of the home's history. On July 11, 2022, the agenda item covering the heritage status vote was removed in order to address the community's concerns.[23][24]
The Historic Joy Kogawa House Society has operated a writer-in-residence program in the house since 2008. They have hosted four writers to date: poet and editor Dr. John Asfour of Montreal in 2009, novelist and writing educator Nancy Lee of Richmond in 2010, creative non-fiction author Susan Crean in 2011, short-fiction author Deborah Willis in 2012, and PEN Canada writer-in-exile, novelist, editor, freelance journalist, and faculty member Ava Homa in 2013.[25]
