Winnipeg Street new home for homeless
City council has given the green light to a plan to build 62 units of supportive housing on Winnipeg Street.
The project, to be built by BC Housing, was initially slated for Green Avenue, but that site was rejected by council in July following strong public opposition due to its proximity to schools and existing social housing.
Plan B will see two houses knocked down at 594 and 600 Winnipeg St. to clear the way for the new four-storey building.
Mayor Andrew Jakubeit said Wednesday there’s no ideal place for such a project, but the chosen spot is about as good as it gets.
“This is sort of right on the fringe of downtown, in between two churches. It’s already properly zoned for it and there were no variance requests,” he said.
Council vote 5-0 to issue the required development permit.
Couns. Tarik Sayeed and Max Picton were absent.
Once complete sometime next spring, the building, which will be manufactured off site by Pentictonbased Metric Modular and reassembled on Winnipeg Street, and will be managed by ASK Wellness, which will provide around-theclock security and supports.
“I think the supports is the critical factor that will help get some of these marginalized people off the streets, which is the first step towards turning their lives around or integrating more into our community or having less of an impact in our community,” said Jakubeit. BC Housing did not respond to a request for comment by press deadline Wednesday.