The province is ready to start building 46 units of modular housing in Kelowna to give homeless people a roof over their heads before the snow flies this winter.
On Friday, Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Selina Robinson joined Mayor Colin Basran at a ground-breaking ceremony on the site of a planned new social support housing development in the city to be called Hearthstone.
The project, to be built at 1642 Commerce Ave., will provide its residents with 24/7 supportive care services and will take just five months to build.
sa国际传媒淲e understand that shelter providers in Kelowna are experiencing significant pressure from high-occupancy rates, and many of their clients are dealing with mental-heath and addiction issues,sa国际传媒� said Robinson.
sa国际传媒淭hese new homes will alleviate some of that pressure, and provide much-needed access to support programs that will help these people reclaim their lives.sa国际传媒�
The John Howard Society will operate Hearthstone and because it is modular construction, it is expected to be ready by October.
Basran said he was happy to see the development, which was redesigned after its first version was presented to council and received lukewarm support because of its utilitarian look.
sa国际传媒淭his is an important step on our journey to address homelessness in Kelowna,sa国际传媒� said Basran, adding the city has enjoyed a long and successful relationship with B.C. Housing that has resulted in several social housing developments in Kelowna over the years including the Cardington Apartments downtown and New Gate in Rutland.
In his remarks Friday, he acknowledged there were concerns from some of the sitesa国际传媒檚 neighbouring businesses when the project was first announced.
But he said he hopes the coming experience with Hearthstonesa国际传媒攕lated to only be on the site for four yearssa国际传媒攚ill be a positive one and will help pave the way for similar developments in future in other parts of the city.
Basran said one of the lessons learned from the controversial creation of the 80-bed emergency Cornerstone shelter on Leon Avenue downtown last year was that new supportive housing projects should be smaller in size and located across the city, not just in one area. But, while Cornerstone is a shelter, Robinson was quick to point out Hearthstone will be homes.
Hearthstone will provide its residentssa国际传媒攚ho will be vetted before being given homes in the developmentsa国际传媒攁ccess to round-the-clock, on-site staff, and support services including meals, life and employment skills training, health and wellness support services and opportunities for volunteer work.
Robinson said the aim is to help the residents find long-term housing in the community.
There is an estimated 350 homeless people in Kelowna, and the mayor said the city is currently in negotiations with B.C. Housing for creation of 136 more units of support housing in several locations.
On Friday, B.C. Housing announced it recently purchased property for a second proposed supportive housing project in Kelowna at 2025 Agassiz Rd. It has also announced similar projects in Vernon and Penticton.
The Commercial Avenue project will cost $8 million and is part of a larger push by the B.C.sa国际传媒檚 NDP government to address the need for temporary supportive housing across the province. The government says it is investing $291 million to build 2,000 homes in B.C.
Robinson said cities and towns, including Kelowna, have been very supportive of the program.
sa国际传媒淭hey have been begging for help for years,sa国际传媒� said Robinson. sa国际传媒淎nd, frankly, the former (Liberal) government didnsa国际传媒檛 hear.sa国际传媒�
The use of modular construction is part of what the minister described as her governmentsa国际传媒檚 sa国际传媒渇ast responsesa国际传媒� to the need.
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