Penticton to receive 52 low-income housing units

Location on property owned by province where the Skaha Sunrise Motel is now

More security and resources are promised as the province announced the location of 52 units of low-income housing for Penticton, Friday. BC Housing will be submitting a development permit application to the city for subsidized housing to help curb homelessness in the city.

The proposal suggests locating the housing at Skaha Lake Road and Green Avenue.

Selina Robinson, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, announced the location on provincially-owned property where the Skaha Sunrise Motel is presently located.

The individual units will be complete with private bathrooms and kitchens and operated by ASK Wellness, a support services group based in Kamloops and Merritt, which provides service to eight communities in B.C.

“In addition to having dignity, these people will have access to meal services, counselling, medical offices and life and employment skills training,” Robinson said.

She made the announcement at Metric Modular, a local manufacturer which is building the housing for low-income and marginalized individuals.

A source, who asked not to be identified, told Okanagan Weekend they recently walked off the job as a security guard at the Fairhaven low-income housing complex.

The source claims a security guard was attacked last week at Fairhaven, adding that constant drug use, theft and threats forced them off the job. Kim Galloway, director of housing supports for ASK, said beginning in May the organization will be working with the Fairhaven low-income housing to increase security and support.

“Adding 24-hour supports, I think that’s where we’ll see more of that security, but also really addressing individual needs,” Galloway said.

Robinson cited a recent Penticton count that said about 163 people are living without a home.

“That’s a 35 per cent increase from last year. It’s helpful to have numbers like these so we can plan action on housing,” Robinson said.

On April 23, Penticton is taking part in a homeless count with communities across the province in what Robinson called the largest of its kind.

“About 85 per cent of the province will be counted and identified. Part of what has always been challenging is different regions have done their own count, but haven’t always asked the same questions so it’s really hard to compare,” Robinson said.

The standardization of the count will bring more value to the data, she said, noting the complexity of the project with surveys including those who are sheltered or not, couch surfing and a specialized youth count.

“We also know we’re often under-counting because some people choose to not be identified and it’s the best estimation that we have,” Robinson said.

BC Housing is hosting a neighbourhood open house on Wednesday, April 25 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Johansen Robinson Centre at 2965 South Main Street.