A housing project in Courtenay for adults living with developmental and intellectual disabilities reached a major milestone this week.
L’Arche Comox Valley held a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday, June 24, marking the start of construction on The Anchorage.
The project is located at 1560 Grieve Ave. in Courtenay and will consist of multiple buildings, including two fourplexes and an amenity space, to house 15 individuals.
L’Arche’s core members will live in semi-independent suites.
The ceremony drew local politicians, L’Arche staff and core members, as well as community and project stakeholders.
Community leader and executive director Lynda Brosko said the project is a benefit to L’Arche’s core members and the Comox Valley.
Photo: Wylie Henderson
L’Arche’s Lynda Brosko comments:
“When the Comox Valley decides that they want to get something done and it’s important to them, it always gets done,” said Brosko. “This invitation from the Anchorage is not just to be L’Arche’s project, it’s your project.”
Courtenay Mayor Bob Wells praised L’Arche’s work in bringing the project to this point. The $6.2-million cost of purchasing the property and construction has been covered by grants, donations and fundraising efforts.
He encouraged those eligible to register for The Anchorage waitlist.
Courtenay mayor Bob Wells comments:
“Even if you don’t get a place to live, L’Arche also has outreach programs,” said Wells. “Day programs where people can come, they can go on trips, they can build crafts, they can do all sorts of things.”
Courtenay-Alberni MP Gord Johns said he would work with the federal government in hopes of leveraging funds to help cover some of the project’s costs. He also praised L’Arche for its work in providing social supports and independence for adults living with disabilities in the Comox Valley and at its other branches across the country.
Courtenay-Alberni MP Gord Johns comments:
“L’Arche is about people with and without developmental disabilities sharing life together, building friendships, supporting one another and creating community in the truest sense,” Johns said. “I see that when I drop by.”
L’Arche is still looking to raise more than $670,000 to support the project. Donations can be made through its website.
Current plans call for the first eight L’Arche core members to move into the semi-independent units by early to mid-2027.
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