Renovations have yet to begin at the location of a new BC Housing shelter in Castlegar, but BC Housing says it is still scheduled for a 2025 opening.
The province, through BC Housing, purchased 2245 6th Ave. in June with the intention of turning the former mini-storage facility into a 20-bed shelter for people experiencing homelessness in the community.
The new shelter will be open year-round and will replace the 10-bed Out of the Cold Emergency Winter Shelter.
In a Sept. 6 statement, BC Housing told Castlegar News that it has been working with the City of Castlegar to secure the necessary permit approvals for the site's new use.
They also said that upgrades to the building's basic systems are needed, as well as the addition of partitions to create the 20 sleeping units.
At the time of the purchase announcement in June, BC Housing said it plans to provide $1.6 million for the renovations.
An operator for the new site still needs to be chosen, and will be selected through a request for proposal process.
"Shelters are but one step on the housing continuum. We will continue our ongoing work with the City of Castlegar to provide other types of housing to the community," said BC Housing, but did not elaborate on what other projects they were referencing.
However, earlier this year, BC Housing announced that it will provide funding through the Community Housing Fund (CHF) for the major housing and health-care project at 925 Columbia Ave. The four-storey mixed-use building will include up to 68 non-market housing units.
The CHF was created to increase the supply of purpose-built rental units for low to middle-income families. Under the program, residents of at least 70 per cent of the units pay rent geared to income, where rent is generally based on 30 per cent of household income.
The funding will go to Lu’ma Native Housing Society, which will serve as operator for the housing component of the new building.
