BC commits to building 4,900 'affordable' rental homes 

Nov 14 2018, 3:02 am

Premier John Horgan is committing to building a total of 4,900 new “affordable” rental homes in 42 communities across the province. A total of 10 projects — 1,101 homes — will be built in Vancouver.

In a press conference Tuesday, Horgan said the mixed-income units, which will be built as part of the “Building BC: Community Housing Fund,” will help make life more affordable for the province’s middle-income families.

The units will include both non-profits and co-ops and will be built over the next two to three years.

“These… 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,” he said in a statement.

Here’s a closer look at the Vancouver projects:

  • $18.1 million to Brightside Homes – 181 homes for individuals, families and seniors
  • $4 million to Lookout Housing and Health Society – 40 homes for individuals (2 projects)
  • $9.9 million to M. Kopernik Foundation – 99 homes for seniors
  • $10.2 million to New Chelsea Society – 102 homes for individuals, families and seniors
  • $4.6 million to Salvation Army Harbour Light – 46 homes for individuals
  • $3 million to the Kettle Society – 30 homes for seniors with mental health challenges
  • $7.7 million to Vancouver Affordable Housing Agency – 77 homes for individuals, families and seniors
  • $16.9 million to Vancouver Community Land Trust – 169 homes for people with HIV and AIDS and families and seniors
  • $35.7 million to Vancouver Community Land Trust – 357 homes for individuals, families and seniors

Click here for the full list of housing projects across BC.

Individual buildings will contain units aimed at a mix of income levels, including homes for middle-income individuals and families, as well as “deeply subsidized” units for seniors and people on fixed incomes, and homes for low-wage workers.

BC’s new Community Housing Fund has committed to investing $1.9-billion over the next decade, and will build a total of 14,000 affordable rentals for seniors, families and low- and middle-income earners.

Many will include child care, according to the province. The province has not revealed how much monthly rent will cost for the units.

BC is kicking in $492 million to deliver the new rental homes. Projects were selected through a request for proposals issued in the spring and closed in September.

BC Housing is working with the societies to finalize the projects in the next few months.

The New Chelsea Society (NCS), a non-profit housing society for low- and moderate-income seniors, families and persons with disabilities, is one of the groups partnering with the city and province to build new housing.

It will build a new 102-unit affordable housing project for seniors and families on Southwest Marine Drive in Vancouver.

“We aspire to provide our 3,000 residents with more than just an affordable place to live – we strive to provide them with a home and a community,” said Patrick Buchannon, Executive Director for the NCS.

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