Twenty-nine new affordable rental homes are on the way to Vernon and the Okanagan Indian Band’s Reserve No. 1 through the Building BC: Community Housing Fund.
The more than 600 homes for people with low- to-moderate incomes was announced by the province in a Dec. 2 statement.
“These projects will mean new, affordable homes for a wide range of people — from seniors on fixed incomes to growing families and people with disabilities,” said David Eby, minister responsible for housing. “There’s a lot more to do, and I look forward to working with the non-profit housing sector and all our partners to continue delivering the homes people need.”
The 16 projects selected, which will provide a total of 634 new homes, include:
- Vernon, 6309-6321-6335 Okanagan Landing Rd.: 13 homes for seniors, people with disabilities and families, in partnership with Vernon and District Community Land Trust
- Vernon, Reserve #1: 16 homes for Indigenous Elders, couples and families, in partnership with Okanagan Indian Band.
The Community Housing Fund, which is part of the province’s 10-year, $7-billion housing plan, supports mixed-income buildings. It is an investment of $1.9 billion to build more than 14,000 mixed-income rental homes for low- and moderate-income families and individuals. These projects have:
- 50 per cent of units for households with annual incomes up to $64,000;
- 30 per cent of units for households with annual incomes up to approximately $74,000; and
- 20 per cent of units for households with very low incomes (including those on income or disability assistance).
Vernon-Monashee MLA Harwinder Sandhu is welcoming 29 new affordable rental homes coming to her riding for people with low-to-moderate incomes.
“Access to affordable housing is important for the health and wellbeing of individuals, families, and our community as a whole,” said Sandhu. “I’m proud that our New Democrat government is delivering much-needed affordable housing for people in Vernon.”
The request for proposals for the current intake of the Community Housing Fund, which launched in May 2020, is open until mid-January 2021.
Approximately 3,000 new affordable homes are expected to be funded this intake — the second since 2017. The first seven projects funded through this intake were announced in September 2020.
READ MORE: Vernon soon to be home for more affordable housing
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