Families and individuals with low to moderate incomes will benefit from new affordable rental housing, thanks to a new agreement between the B.C. government and the City of Penticton.

Seventy new homes will be created along Brunswick Street to provide families with a safe, affordable place to stay in the city. Residents will also enjoy easy access to Downtown Penticton and park amenities at nearby Okanagan Lake.

The rental units will be built on city-owned properties at 284-298 and 260 Brunswick St. The Province will arrange construction financing for the projects.

The property at 284-298 Brunswick St. will be developed first. The second site is under a lease until 2020 and will be developed at a later date.

A Request for Proposals for a non-profit housing society to design, construct and operate the first site will be issued in late November 2015. Provincial funding will be determined once qualified societies are selected.

Quotes:

Rich Coleman, Minister of Natural Gas Development and Minister Responsible for Housing –

“Part of building a healthy community is making sure that people have access to secure and affordable rental housing. Through this partnership with the city, more families in Penticton will have a safe place to call home. I look forward to seeing construction begin and we will continue to work with our partners to increase the supply of affordable homes in the area.”

Dan Ashton, MLA for Penticton –

“This is wonderful news for those in our community who are in real need of affordable housing. I encourage local non-profit housing providers to look at this as an opportunity to help many individuals and families in Penticton, which will impact our community in an incredibly positive way.”

Mayor Andrew Jakubeit, City of Penticton –

“The City of Penticton is proud to support the creation of new, affordable housing in our community. We are grateful to the Province for their partnership, and look forward to working with the non-profit housing partner to create a plan that will increase the liveability of Penticton for our community.”

Quick Facts:

• Since 2001, the B.C. government has invested $4.4 billion to provide affordable housing for low-income individuals, seniors and families.
• This year, more than 102,500 B.C. households will benefit from provincial social housing programs and services.
• Last year, the Province invested over $5.7 million to provide subsidized housing and rent supplements for more than 1,400 households in Penticton. This includes providing support for more than 1,000 senior households and almost 200 family households.

Learn More:

For more information on affordable housing programs and the province’s efforts to end homelessness in B.C., please visit: www.housingmattersbc.ca/factsheets.html and www.bchousing.org

Follow BC Housing on Twitter: @BC_Housing (twitter.com)