Province earmarks $10M for Indigenous housing project

The provincial government has committed $10 million towards the first phase of what has been described as an “urban village” catering to Indigenous housing needs in Prince George.

It will go towards construction of 50 townhouses on a 6.8-acre site at 1919 17th Ave. in a partnership between B.C. Housing and the Aboriginal Housing Society of Prince George.

AHS executive director Christos Vardacostas welcomed the news.

“We’re very excited to move forward with the project that’s for the community and by the community,” he said Monday.

The money comes out of the Building BC: Indigenous Housing Fund and was announced over the weekend. In all, the provincial government committed $155 million for 776 units of off-reserve housing across the province and a further $76 million for 367 units of on-reserve housing

City council approved rezoning for the purpose in March and the project is currently in the preliminary design stage.

The goal is to have work begin by as early as 2019 and have it completed by no later than 2021, Vardacostas said.

He said it will be open to a mix of Indigenous seniors, singles and families who need subsidized housing and is the first of three phases planned for the site.

The AHS also operates Ts’oo Yoh, or House of Spruce, a 27-unit complex at 1811 Spruce St. Opened in July, it is geared towards low-income Indigenous elders and seniors

“The housing situation for many B.C. First Nations communities has been crippled by decades of federal government funding policies and models that haven’t kept up with our needs, nor with economic fluctuations,” said B.C. Assembly of First Nations regional chief Terry Teegee in a statement.

“This provincial funding will begin to make a difference, but we still have a long way to go to ensure an adequate supply and good quality housing in our fast-growing communities.

“We will continue to work with both levels of government to reverse a crisis that has become a monumental challenge.”