Affordable housing opportunities on the horizon

By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: January 15, 2009 6:00 PM

Opportunities for affordable housing are expanding in Vernon. Plans are underway for a six-plex townhouse on land provided by the City of Vernon at 4100 25th Avenue. The project will involve the Vernon Community Land Trust Society, Habitat for Humanity and the Kindale Developmental Association. “There are bus routes there and it’s relatively close to downtown. It’s ideal for affordable housing,” said Annette Sharkey, with the Social Planning Council, which is also part of the initiative known as Under One Roof. The units, a mix of ownership and rental, will be for low-income families and individuals with developmental disabilities. In the case of the Habitat for Humanity component, the family that lives there will have to purchase the unit. “It’s for people who wouldn’t normally be able to own a home,” said Sharkey. The project comes at the same time that Vernon has a vacancy rate of one per cent — among the lowest in the province. “There’s a challenge for people under the low-income cutoff to find housing,” said Sharkey.

Construction will begin in April and students from Okanagan College’s residential construction program will provide free labour on 70 per cent of the foundation and framing. Also involved is Heartwood Homes and MQN Architects, and it’s hoped other building trades will come on board. About $1.2 million is needed to make the housing project a reality and that money will come together through financing, grant applications and fundraising. “We are confident that we will be able to meet that target,” said Sharkey.The Prestige Inn and Foresters will host a fundraising breakfast in support of the project, and anyone interested in supporting the campaign can call Cindy at 503-7974. Sharkey admits that the entire initiative wouldn’t be possible if the city wasn’t willing to provide the property.

“The City of Vernon is taking a leadership role on affordable housing,” she said.“They are willing to put land on the table to get a development like this.” Mayor Wayne Lippert believes it made sense for the city to get involved.“We want to give people an attainable place to live. We see a benefit from having multiple partners involved,” he said.