Kelowna is the latest B.C. community to get housing relief from a provincial tiny homes project, but it may not be the last.
Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon said the Kelowna project could provide a template to help individuals dealing with homelessness in Interior communities beyond its biggest city.
On Thursday (Oct. 12), Kahlon announced BC Housing will create 120 housing units in Kelowna B次元官网网址渨ithin a few monthsB次元官网网址� for individuals living in encampments or otherwise unhoused. These 6o-square-foot tiny homes spread across a handful of yet-to-be-finalized sites will mark Kelowna as the first Interior community to use tiny homes, but others may soon follow.
B次元官网网址淪o right now, we have tiny homes in Victoria and in Duncan and certainly, what we are looking to do here is learn from Kelowna,B次元官网网址� Kahlon said.
Conditions differ in Kelowna from those other locations, he added.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 colder in the winter, a little bit warmer in the summersB次元官网网址nd itB次元官网网址檚 going to be very important for us to see how we roll out, but also the approach that is being taken.B次元官网网址�
Different types of people require different types of housing and some individuals dealing with homelessness may be better suited for more traditional forms of supportive housing, he said.
B次元官网网址淚f itB次元官网网址檚 successful, we will look to do it (tiny homes) in more communities.B次元官网网址�
Kahlon said the B次元官网网址渁llureB次元官网网址� of tiny home is speed while noting the province has been working with Kelowna on this issue for months.
B次元官网网址淲e can get these units on much quicker than we can traditional housing units,B次元官网网址� he added. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e just waiting for the city to just finalize where the locations will be. (So) IB次元官网网址檓 confident that weB次元官网网址檙e going to be able to get those units moving really quickly once the locations are finalized.
B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址淏ut this is work that has been happening for some time. This is not something that we just started weeks ago. B次元官网网址�
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Kahlon made these comments in the presence of Kelowna Mayor Dyas. His community joins Prince George in having signed a memorandum of understanding with the province spelling out respective roles and responsibilities in protecting people sheltering outdoors and moving them indoors, while breaking up encampments.
While it is not clear how much these tiny homes will cost, the Homeless Encampment Action Response Temporary Housing (HEARTH) program will fund them. They will be a temporary solution, so BC Housing can work with Kelowna to identify new permanent supportive housing options.
B次元官网网址淭here is a critical lack of housing, which is pushing more and more people into homelessness,B次元官网网址� Kahlon said. B次元官网网址淭he situation in encampments here and other cities is extremely concerning,B次元官网网址� he added, noting encampments are not safe for anyone. B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檙e not safe for the people in communities, theyB次元官网网址檙e not safe for small businesses nearby, and most of all, theyB次元官网网址檙e not safe for the people who are living in them.B次元官网网址�
Dyas welcomed the provincial involvement, expressing hope that the public will support the project.
B次元官网网址淏ut I also know that we hear a lot of concern within our community about the cold weather coming,B次元官网网址� Dyas said, adding Kelowna is trying to build all forms of housing.
While homelessness is perhaps most visible in Metro Vancouver and Greater Victoria, recent figures also show significant spikes in homelessness in large and small communities across B.C.B次元官网网址檚 many regions.
Cities have unique needs and the provincial response needs to be flexible, Kahlon added.
He also addressed the question of which other communities in B.C.B次元官网网址檚 Interior might join Kamloops as communities targeted for additional housing. (The other nine communities announced earlier this year are in Greater Victoria, Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley).
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檒l say that weB次元官网网址檙e not picking communities that need targets by just meeting with them and randomly putting them on lists,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e using data to decide what communities need the housing the most.B次元官网网址�
The province is expected to announce the next 10 communities targeted for additional housing in the coming months.
wolfgang.depner@blackpress.ca
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