NORTHERN VANCOUVER ISLAND, B.C. – An influx of affordable housing is coming to the communities across northern Vancouver Island.
According to a government release, the province is moving forward with more than 4,900 new affordable mixed-income rental homes as part of the Building BC: Community Housing Fund.
These homes, the first set of projects selected through this fund, will include both non-profits and co-ops and will be built over the next two to three years, the release notes.
The province’s new Building BC: Community Housing Fund, a $1.9-billion investment over 10 years, will build more than 14,000 affordable rental homes for seniors, families and low- and middle-income earners, with many to include child care.
In Vancouver Island/Gulf Islands, there are 20 projects involving the construction of 1,274 homes.
They include:
- Bowser: 1 project /22 homes – $2.2 million to the Bowser Seniors Housing Society for construction of 22 homes for seniors
- Campbell River: 1 project/40 homes – $4.7 million to the Campbell River and North Island Transition Society to build 40 homes for women and their families
- Hornby Island: 1 project/26 homes – $2.6 million to the Hornby Island Housing Society for construction of 26 homes for families, seniors and workers
- Cortes Island: 1 project/4 homes – $400,000 to the Cortes Island Seniors Society to build four homes for seniors
Premier John Horgan said these new rental homes “are an important step toward addressing the housing crisis and giving families in every part of the province a break from skyrocketing housing costs.”
The new homes are designed to address the need for affordable housing across a range of income levels.
According to the release, this is in response to a housing crisis that has made housing unaffordable “for even middle-class families.”
Much like past investments in co-op and non-profit housing, individual buildings will contain units aimed at a mix of income levels, including homes for middle-income individuals and families, deeply subsidized rentals for seniors and others on fixed incomes, and homes for low-wage workers.
“Co-ops and non-profit housing partners welcome this landmark investment in affordable, mixed-income communities all over British Columbia,” said Thom Armstrong, the executive director with the Co-operative Housing Federation of B.C. “We applaud the government for delivering on its commitment to make life more secure and affordable for families and seniors who have struggled in this very challenging housing market.”
