Seniors have new housing option
Okanagan Falls will soon be home to a three -storey affordable housing unit built for independent seniors. The housing project will consist of 26 units — 24 of which will be one bedroom and the other two two bedrooms — and is set to welcome residents in the summer of 2019.
Members of the three-way partnership between the provincial government, Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen and South Skaha Housing Society pierced the ground with spades, Friday.
“This was not an exactly an overnight success,” said Leslie D’Andrea, chairwoman of the housing society board. “The original idea to build an affordable housing project began with the incorporation of the South Skaha Housing Society in 2005.
“Almost 10 years later, it gained momentum.”
It was the age-friendly assessment, led by the Okanagan Falls recreational manager Janet Black, that recognized the importance of affordable housing for seniors and started the momentum that had two proposals put forth to the RDOS.
The provincial government provided a grant of $5.9 million and is financing $1.3 million for interim construction costs. The RDOS waived development cost charges and offered tax exemptions for the project.
Boundary Similkameen MLA Linda Larson was in attendance alongside the BC Housing Interior regional manager Ann Howard, as well as RDOS director Tom Siddon and Robert McLeod, chairman of the SSHS.
“It takes some time for some of these things to come to fruition … the community deserves it,” said Larson.
The housing project is in the central area of Okanagan Falls with quick accessibility to grocery stores, banks, pharmacies, and doctors. It’s located at 5081 8th Ave. where the Okanagan Falls farmer’s market was held in the past.
“It’s been a lot of work,” said Okanagan resident Liz Laochko, who was in attendance with her friends Jim and Marle Laidlaw, both of whom said the project is a step in the right direction.